Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced — Round 124 (The Final Round!)

We’ve announced the winners of Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest, which ended yesterday. This was the final round of the contest. More than $989,000 worth of prizes have been awarded in the 20+ years that we ran the contest. My  congratulations to all of the prize winners, over the years. Your articles have been a key part of what makes SurvivalBlog such a valuable reference. Your articles will remain freely available in the SurvivalBlog archives.

Note: Please continue to write articles for SurvivalBlog, to share your knowledge and experience. Reader-written articles are a key part of making SurvivalBlog a useful resource. See our Editorial Guidelines for details. Again, there will no longer be a contest, but I will occasionally mail the gift of an autographed book or a waterproof SurvivalBlog archive USB stick to the writers of articles that stand out from the rest.

The top three prize winners for Round 124 will each receive some great prize packages. The winners are…

First Prize Winner:

First Prize goes to goes to SaraSue, for Small Farm Dairy Cattle. It was posted in five parts on May 11-16, 2026. (See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.)  She will receive as prizes:

1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
2. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
3. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize Winner:

Second Prize goes to N.C. for A Tale of Two Appleseeds. (See Part 1 and Part 2.) He will receive:

1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is providing a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize Winner:

Third Prize goes to H.L., for Looking Back at My Flight Training Adventures (Circa 1970). It was posted on April 4, 2026. She will receive:

1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

Honorable Mention Prizes

The writers of the Round 124 Honorable Mention articles have been awarded a transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun, or any knife or bayonet.  There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns in most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

There were eight Honorable Mention prize-winning articles in Round 124. They have each been awarded a  transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun, or blackpowder gun. They are:

A Note on our Writing Contest Sponsors

I want to thank our loyal writing contest sponsors. Their tremendous generosity inspired a lot of great writers. By the way, when you do any business with any of these sponsors, please thank them for their support of SurvivalBlog.

A Special Note to Previous Prize winners

Any prize winners with unused Elk Creek Company purchase credits have until December 31st, 2026 to spend them on pre-1899 antique guns or blackpowder guns. After that, they will be expired and void.  Please note that these purchase credits are transferable. So, even if you live in a place with restrictive gun laws, you can still transfer them to a friend or relative living in a Free State. – JWR