Outdoor Media Summit Announces 2025 Outdoor Media Award Winners, Recognizing Excellence in Outdoor Journalism and Marketing

November 3, 2025

Annual Awards Celebrate Outstanding Journalism, Marketing Campaigns, and the Outdoor Industry's Only Consensus-Driven Gear Awards

DURANGO, Colo. (November 3, 2025) /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ — Outdoor Media Summit (OMS) celebrated excellence in outdoor journalism, marketing, and industry leadership at its annual Outdoor Media Awards ceremony in Durango, Colorado. The awards recognized outstanding achievements across storytelling, brand campaigns, and content creation, bringing together 261 attendees including the outdoor industry’s top media professionals and brand marketers.

The annual award ceremony recognizes excellence across the outdoor industry’s media and marketing landscape, from groundbreaking journalism to innovative brand campaigns and diversity initiatives.

Judge’s Choice Awards

• Outdoor Story of the Year: Alisa Hrustic for “Awe Can Do Wonders for Your Well-Being—If You Know Where to Look for It” (SELF)
• Gear Story of the Year: Graham Averill for “This Is The Gear My Family Used In the Wake of a Natural Disaster” (Outside)
• B2B Story of the Year: Berne Broudy for “Brave New Landscape” (Grassroots Stories)
• Outdoor Podcast Episode of the Year: Aaron Lutze & Dylan Bowman for “Brand vs Performance Marketing” (Second Nature Podcast)
• YouTube Video of the Year: Miranda Webster for “10 Rules of Hiking Etiquette I Wish I’d Known Sooner!” (Miranda Goes Outside)
• PR Agency of the Year: Darby Communications
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Doug Schnitzspahn, Freelance Writer and Editor
• Journalist of the Year: Jason Blevins, The Colorado Sun
• Marketer of the Year: Tom Sweeny, Aventon
• Brand Campaign of the Year: onX Maps
• Marketing Impact Award: Vince Mazzuca, Osprey

People’s Choice Awards

• Podcast of the Year: National Parks After Dark Podcast and Adventure Diaries Podcast
• YouTube Channel of the Year: Eva zu Beck and Steven Smith (@mylifeoutdoors)
• Social Handle of the Year: Dumb Runner and Women Who Explore (@womenwhoexplore)
• Digital Publication of the Year: Dumb Runner and Treeline Review
• Print Publication of the Year: Thruhikers and Paddling Magazine

Sponsor’s Choice Awards

• The Phoenix Award by Verde PR: Caley Fretz
• Reporting Impact Award by Qwoted: Wes Siler
• Avantlink’s Affiliate of the Year Award: Treeline Review
• Diversity Impact Award by Outdoor Diversity Alliance: Burton
• Best in Social Commerce Award by Popfly: Alpaka Gear

2025 Gear of the Show Winners

A highlight of the awards ceremony was the announcement of Gear of the Show winners, selected through OMS’s unique consensus-driven process. With 92 media professionals registered, the awards reflect the largest gathering of gear journalists in the outdoor industry evaluating products in one place. Their collective votes represent true consensus from gear editors, testers, and journalists across the outdoor industry.

“These awards carry weight because they represent the collective voice of the outdoor gear journalism community,” said Yoon Kim, founder of Outdoor Media Summit. “When the majority of the gear community agrees on their favorite products, consumers can buy with confidence.”

The Gear of the Show winners were selected through OMS’s signature New Gear Speed Date event, where media professionals evaluated over 60 products from the outdoor industry’s leading brands in an intensive 10-minute “speed date” style format.

Editor’s Choice Awards

• Zenbivy Ultralight Bed Muscovy ExpeDRY™
• PACKFIRE Fire Pit

Judge’s Choice Awards

• Crazy Creek Hex 2.0™ x Osprey Talon™ 33
• Katadyn BeFree AC 1.0L

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About Outdoor Media Summit
Outdoor Media Summit is where the brightest minds in outdoor media and marketing gather to share secrets, forecast the future, and drive industry growth. The 2025 conference took place in downtown Durango, Colorado, from October 27-29, 2025, bringing together 261 attendees including editors from major publications, outdoor brand marketers, and industry leaders.

Contact Information:
Yoon Kim
yoon@outdoormediasummit.com