NEWS & STORIES
Veterans to Participate in National Competitions with PHWFF
We’re pleased to announce that our 10th Annual Fly Tying Competition and 14th Annual Fly Rod Building Competition are underway! Disabled veteran participants in the Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing program began submitting their incredible flies and custom fly rod builds as entries in these fun, annual competition starting on August 1, 2021 with final entries due by October 1, 2022. The first of multiple public judging rounds kick-off on October 4, 2022!
The Fly Tying and Fly Rod Building competitions are open to all current PHWFF participants. Submissions for the Fly Tying Competition can be made between August 1 and October 1, 2022. Submission for the Fly Rod Building Competition can be made between August 1 and October 17, 2022. Each competition will feature multiple categories and two judging rounds beginning with a public judging round to select the finalists and concluding with a finals round judged by a panel of experts who will determine the winners using predetermined criteria. All public judging rounds will take place at www.projecthealingwaters.org
The Fly Tying Competition will have public judging take place from October 4 – 13, 2022. Finalists will proceed to be judged by a panel of experts from October 14 – 18, 2022. The Fly Tying Competition winners will be announced on October 20, 2021.
The Fly Rod Building Competition will host three separate categories and judging schedules.
The public judging for Category 1 – Beginners will take place from October 21 – 27, 2022 with finalists being judged by a panel of experts from October 28 – November 1, with winners announced on November 2, 2022.
The public judging for Category 2 – Intermediate will take place from November 2 – 8, 2022 with finalists being judged by a panel of experts from November 9 – 13 and winners announced on November 14, 2022.
The public judging for Category 3 – Advanced will take place from November 14 – 20, 2022 with finalists being judged by a panel of experts from November 21 – 25 and winners announced on November 26, 2022.
The public judging for Category 4 – Veteran Ambassador will take place from November 26 – December 2, 2022 with finalists being judged by a panel of experts from December 3 – 7 and winners announced on December 8, 2022.
Now in its 14th year, the National Fly Rod Building Competition is focused on expanding the therapeutic experience for disabled veterans participating in PHWFF programs by giving them the experience of building their own fly rods to further their physical and mental rehabilitation through the sport of fly fishing.
The 10th Annual Fly Tying Competition is a great annual program that has grown each year since its inception in 2012. The competition has provided the disabled veterans we serve with a means to further their therapeutic experience by giving them the opportunity to showcase their fly tying skills and creativity in a fun contest.
The Competitions wouldn’t be possible without all those volunteers who contribute their time, talents, and expertise to provide a meaningful and therapeutic experience for our Nation’s disabled veterans.
We are eager and excited to see all the beautiful and innovative flies and fly rods submitted by our talented participants this year! We’ll be sharing much more about this fun, restorative program in the coming weeks!