Winners Announced in Annual Contests

Hundreds of photos and stories about newcomers to the shooting sports poured into the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) headquarters for the annual Step Outside® photo and story contests. From that extensive field of entries, judges selected three winners in each contest. Those six communicators, ranging from a 6-year-old Pennsylvanian to a well-published professional writer from South Dakota, will split prizes totaling $3,200.

First-place winners will receive a $1,000 gift certificate to an outdoor retail store, while second-place winners will receive a $500 gift certificate and third-place winners will receive a $100 gift certificate.

All of the entries were judged on how well they reflected the Step Outside theme of introducing new participants to target shooting, archery, hunting, and fishing. "These entries have demonstrated that enjoying a day of target sports, fishing, and hunting with family and friends can be rewarding in several ways: spending quality time, passing on tradition, and having fun," said Melissa Schilling, NSSF’s national coordinator for the Step Outside program.

The winners of the 2004 photo contest are: • First place: Alex Ellis, 9; Kersey, Pennsylvania • Second place: Audrae Ellis, 6; Kersey, Pennsylvania • Third place: Brittany Wutkowski, 13; Carteret, New Jersey The winners of the 2004 story contest are: • First place: Berdette Zastrow, 62; Columbia, South Dakota, for "A Step Outside Outdoor Year" • Second place: Paul E.

Moore, 41; Henderson, Kentucky, for "Jeremy’s Outdoor Awakening" • Third place: Tracy Christine Ertl, 39; Green Bay, Wisconsin, for "Stepping Out From the Past" Step Outside, a program of NSSF, developed the story and photo contests to draw attention to its call to outdoor enthusiasts, encouraging them to introduce newcomers to target shooting, archery, hunting, or fishing. The program has introduced thousands to these outdoor pastimes.

To view 2004’s winning entries, visit and for information about the 2005 contests, visit