Awards & Honors

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) named U.S. Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) as its 2025 Legislator of the Year for his advocacy supporting firearm industry commerce, Second Amendment rights, and hunting. Cline championed the Hearing Protection Act, secured NFA tax elimination in the One Big Beautiful Bill, and sponsored legislation protecting industry access during government shutdowns.

The Kinetic Group was named Rural King's Sporting Goods Vendor of the Year at the 2026 Annual Vendor Summit in Mattoon, Illinois. The award recognizes TKG's Federal Ammunition and affiliate brands for excellence, growth, and dedication to supporting Rural King's retail operations across rural America.

USA Archery National Head Coach Elias Cuesta has been named World Archery Coach of the Year for 2025, recognizing his outstanding first year leading the U.S. program. Cuesta guided Team USA to historic results on the World Cup circuit and secured podium finishes at both the World Archery Championships and World Archery Youth Championships.

SPYPOINT received multiple gold awards in the 2026 Readers' Choice Awards from Bowhunting World and Predator Xtreme, including Best New Product for the FLEX-DARK Series and top honors in trail camera and cellular trail camera categories. The awards were voted on directly by hunters across North America, marking the first time any company has swept all categories.

APEX Ammunition's 12-gauge Mossy Oak Greenleaf Turkey TSS won Outdoor Life's Editor's Choice award for best TSS load. The ammunition, featuring #9 and #10 pellets with 1,096 pellet count, earned praise from Editor-in-Chief Alex Robinson for exceptional pattern density and penetration at 60 yards.

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. announced ten retailers nationwide as 2025 Ambassador Dealers, including Americana Arms, Not Just Guns, H&H Shooting Sports, Fuquay Gun, Fin Feather Fur Outfitters, Magnum Shooting Center, Freedom Firearms, Idaho Guns & Outdoors, Shoot Straight, and Smoky Mountain Guns & Ammo, recognizing their exceptional sales performance and customer service.

Empowered 2A announced that the Derya DY9Z, manufactured by Derya Arms, has been named the 2026 Empowered 2A Gun of the Year. The striker-fired 9mm pistol features a compact profile, 15+1 capacity, optics-ready slide, and vibrant color options designed to appeal to diverse firearm owners, particularly women seeking performance and style.

Wildlife Research Center® won the 2026 Kinsey's Dealer Choice Award for Best in Category – Hunting Accessory, as voted by Kinsey's dealers. The award recognizes the company's commitment to quality, innovation, and performance in hunting scents and accessories.

Streamlight Inc. recognized Odle Sales as its 2025 Sales Rep Agency of the Year Award recipient for the Sporting Goods Market at SHOT Show in Las Vegas. The Columbia, Missouri-based manufacturers' representative agency was honored for exceptional sales achievement and advancing Streamlight's presence in the shooting, hunting, and outdoor industry.

Streamlight Inc. awarded 144th Marketing Group LLC the 2025 Sales Rep Agency of the Year Award for Law Enforcement at SHOT Show in Las Vegas. The Peachtree City, GA-based manufacturers' representative agency was recognized for outstanding sales achievement in Southeast territories.

Big Game Treestands earned the 2026 Readers' Choice Gold Award from Bowhunting World in the Ladder/Tripod category, recognized for smart design and proven performance. The award highlights Big Game's commitment to stability, comfort, and reliability in elevated hunting solutions.

ALPS OutdoorZ and founder Dennis Brune received the Lynn Boykin Hunting Heritage Award from the National Wild Turkey Federation at their 50th Annual National Convention. The company has contributed over $800,000 to NWTF's mission, including $170,000 for education and outreach, supporting mentored hunting and next-generation hunters since 2008.

Outdoor Edge won the Gold Award in the Knife category of the Bowhunting World and Predator Xtreme 2026 Readers' Choice Awards, marking the fifth recognition in six years. The Denver-based manufacturer's patented RazorSafe® replaceable blade system continues to resonate with hunters and outdoor enthusiasts.

Mossy Oak announced its ProStaff of the Year winners, with Hunter Bonner and Hunter Englehart tying for the honor. Both winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip in 2026, while all 20 nominated ProStaff members receive $250 gift codes to the Mossy Oak Store.

TenPoint Crossbow Technologies earned two prestigious honors at the 2026 Kinsey's Dealer Show: Best in Crossbows for the fourth consecutive year and Best Innovator in Archery for the Turbo X. The awards recognize dealer votes across eight categories, reflecting TenPoint's reliability, innovation, and service excellence in the crossbow industry.

Birchwood Casey won the Readers' Choice 2026 Gold Award in the Shooting Target category from Predator Xtreme magazine for the second consecutive year, recognizing the brand's innovation, reliability, and leadership in shooting industry products.

Lee R. Anderson received the Beretta & Safari Club International Foundation Conservation Leadership Award at the 11th Annual Award Gala in Nashville, Tennessee. The prestigious award, sponsored by Beretta, recognizes Anderson's exemplary leadership and lifetime commitment to wildlife conservation, outdoor education, and humanitarian service.

Avian-X won the Bowhunting World Readers' Choice 2026 Gold Award for Wild Turkey Decoys, marking the brand's second consecutive victory. The award recognizes the realism and durability of Avian-X's HDR line, including the HDR Strutter, HDR Jake, and HDR Feeding Hen decoys.

The National Wild Turkey Federation received the Winchester Legend Award at its 50th Convention and Sport Show in Nashville, Tennessee. Winchester Ammunition presented the award recognizing the NWTF's decades of commitment to conservation and hunting traditions. NWTF Board Chairman Bryan Perry accepted on behalf of the organization and its volunteers, members, and partners.

Zanders, an all-women-owned distributor based in Sparta, Illinois, received OpticsPlanet's Distributor of the Year award for 2025. The recognition honors Zanders' commitment to outstanding service, reliable fulfillment, and industry-leading product availability across firearms, ammunition, optics, and outdoor gear.