Please scroll to bottom of page for link to the lists of winners in previous years.
OWPG Award for Technical Innovation (formerly known as the Derryck Draper Award): 5 minutes to Delhi
This award is given to a member of the outdoor gear trade for outstanding innovation in outdoor equipment design and materials.
Vegan freeze-dried Indian ready meals made from natural ingredients (no preservatives or additives). Lightweight, and easy and quick to prepare. Company is based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire; all the meals are made in India. Judge Chris Townsend was so impressed by the introductory bundle of ten meals that he instantly reordered! He says that “for anyone looking for easy quick-cook freeze-dried meals for camping – these are as good as it gets”.
Award sponsored by: OWPG
Judges: Chris Townsend, Kassondra Cloos
The physical award is a trophy.
Guidebook: James Rushforth for Photographing the Dolomites (FotoVue)
The Judges said: “Not your ‘standard’ guidebook… something out of the ordinary… a truly spectacular book! A top-quality publication, reflecting an immense amount of work and skill. The glorious images, taken all year round, will delight photographers, via ferrata enthusiasts and armchair readers alike.”
Highly Commended: Jon Cox for The Thames Path, (Sparky Walking Guides)
Highly Commended: Natasha Sones for Swimming Wild in South East England (Vertebrate Publishing)
Award sponsored by: OWPG
Judges: Sue Viccars, author, and Chris Bagshaw, editor, writer and former OWPG member.
Outdoor Book: Andrew Davies for Mapping the Mountains (Aurum)
The Judges said: “A magnificent book and a truly phenomenal achievement! The type of book readers will dip into for a long time, discovering new snippets about places and maps that they may think they know… A very worthy winner.”
Highly Commended: Mike Raine for Just One More Hill (Gritstone Publishing Cooperative)
Award sponsored by: Cordee
Judges: Sue Viccars, author, and Chris Bagshaw, editor, writer and former OWPG member.
Outdoor/Travel Feature: Rudolf Abraham for From Hut to Hut
The Judges said: “Pacy and engaging, this is an enjoyable account of a hike. Detail and colour well judged – and [I am] sold on this route! A really good example of a thoroughly well written hiking feature, packed with all the necessary information.”
Highly Commended: Roly Smith for A Celebration of Wildness and Wonder
Highly Commended: Norman Hadley for Not All Who Wander Are Lost
Award sponsored by: OS Pathfinder Guides/Milestone Publishing
Judges: Carlton Reid (founder of On Your Bike magazine/former OWPG member) and Elizabeth Multon (Conway, imprint of Bloomsbury)
Technical Feature: Norman Hadley for Winter Ultra-Minimalism
The Judges said: ““The ultralight challenge, the urge to put the ethos to the limits, all brought to life within an easy, confident style where you feel you get to know the author a bit, as well as the techniques. Couple of cute jokes!”
Highly Commended: Ronald Turnbull for The Mistakes of Others
Award sponsored by: Cicerone
Judges: Carlton Reid (founder of On Your Bike magazine/former OWPG member) and Elizabeth Multon (Conway, imprint of Bloomsbury)
Photography:
This year was a rare occasion when there were joint winners:
Jonathan Blackham for his portfolio The South African Bush and Rudolf Abraham for his portfolio Tour des Combins
The Judges said:
The South African Bush: “This may have been helped by dealing with less familiar subject material, but we were impressed by its well-judged mix of human and wildlife subjects, brought out by beautiful lighting in practically every shot.”
Tour des Combins: “A strong storytelling portfolio which nicely blended landscapes and our interactions with them, conveying a strong sense of openness and space. The black-and-white glacier photo processed in Silver Efex Pro was a particular favourite.”
Award sponsored by: Conway, imprint of Bloomsbury
Judges: Jon Sparks and James Rushforth
The winning images are © Copyright Jonathan Blackham and Rudolf Abraham respectively – many thanks for permission to reproduce them.
Members Award: Sue Viccars for The Two Moors Way 50th Anniversary Campaign
This was a new award in 2025: an open category for Members’ work that does not quite fit into the other categories of the Awards for Excellence.
Award sponsored by: Northern Eye
Judges: The OWPG membership on a one vote per member basis.
Past Winners:
Please click the button above to view previous award winners.