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Membership

Application Form

If you are interested in membership, read the information below to find out which category is right for you. Then download the appropriate form (the links are in the sections below), fill it out, and mail the form and a check to the address shown on the form.

NOWA's annual membership is approximately 225 Active, Associate, Apprentice, Active Retired, Charter, and Supporting members. Individual members represent nearly every major publication in the Northwest, and many are affiliated with the OUTDOOR WRITERS OF AMERICA (OWAA) and OUTDOOR WRITERS OF CANADA (OWC), including past and present national office holders. However, NOWA is a completely separate entity whose members are specifically oriented toward outdoor activities in the Pacific Northwest.

There are several classes of membership, as described below.

Regular Member

A "Regular" member has voting rights. He/she must satisfy one of the following conditions on a yearly basis; all work must be done for pay.:

  1. Illustrator, cartoonist, or artist: 6 published pieces of work.
  2. Radio or television broadcaster: 18 outdoor shows or broadcasts.
  3. Lecturer: 18 lectures on a scheduled basis.
  4. Still photographer: 21 published outdoor pictures.
  5. Movie photographer: One 24-minute or two 12-minute features.
  6. Magazine writer (part-time staff or free-lancer): six published articles.
  7. Newspaper writer: 24 articles or columns, or any combination thereof.
  8. Book author: 1 book every 3 years.
  9. Editors: Editors of magazines, newspapers, or video and audio outlets, whose full time duties include the review and presentation of conservation or outdoor recreation topics, irrespective of their state or province of residence.
  10. Information Employees: Full-time information employees of a non-profit organization or agency and state, provincial or federal agencies engaged in conservation and outdoor recreation activities and producing photographs, radio or video tapes, press release packages, background information, story ideas or other material for optional use of the media.

Membership application (pdf).

Retired Member

A "Regular" classification member who is over 62 years of age, and who has 20 years standing in the outdoor media field or 10 years membership in NOWA, may apply for "Retired" membership. "Retired" members do not have to fulfil the professional requirements of "Regular" members.  A "Retired" member has voting rights.

Membership application (pdf).

Associate Member

The requirements for "Associate" classification membership are one-half of the requirements for "Regular" classification membership. All work must be done for pay. An "Associate" member does NOT have voting rights.

Membership application (pdf).

Apprentice Member

The requirements for "Apprentice" classification membership are: A person who is interested in becoming an outdoor writer. An "Apprentice" member does NOT have voting rights.

Membership application (pdf).

Supporting Member

The requirements for "Supporting" membership classification are: A firm involved in the commerce of outdoor products and services. A "Supporting" member does NOT have voting rights.

Supporting membership application (pdf).