The Academy of Western Artists is proud to announce the winners of the 2007 Will Rogers Medallion Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Publishing of Cowboy Poetry. The books, authors and publishers to be honored this year are:

"Rhymes & Damn Lies"
Author - Mike Puhallo, Kamloops BC, Canada
Publisher- Hancock House Publishers, Blaine, WA

"Rodeo Country"
Author - Bette Wolf Duncan, Runnells, Iowa
Publisher - Morris Publishers, Kearney, Nebraska

"Cowboy Poetry: The Campfire Ain't Quite Out"
Author, Kent Stockton
Riverton, Wyoming
Publisher -Cowboy Miner Productions, Phoenix, AZ

"Arizona Women -Weird, Wild and Wonderful" Author - Dee Strickland Johnson Publisher - Cowboy Miner Productions, Phoenix, AZ

"Western Poetry: West River Waltz" Author - D.W. Groethe, Bainville, Montana Publisher - Cowboy Miner Productions, Phoenix, AZ

"This is the best over-all competition we have had since the institution of the award," said Charles Williams, Chairman of the Medallion Committee. "The winners represent a truly outstanding selection of Cowboy Poetry books. It is particularly appropriate that the winners be announced during Cowboy Poetry Week, as these authors and publishers are examples of the quality that make Cowboy Poetry so popular."

Will Rogers was a respected writer as well as cowboy entertainer. The Academy hopes and believes that the Will Rogers Medallion Awards will help to expand the heritage of literature which honors the traditions and values of the American Cowboy, which Will did so much to embody and demonstrate. Additionally, the Medallion Award was created to encourage the continued upgrading of the quality of published books of Cowboy Poetry. The honored books continue the establishment of this tradition of presenting Cowboy Poetry to the general public in an appealing and accessible manner. High quality publications like the books above invite readership in competition with many other forms of literature. As with Will's published words, we believe that Medallion books have that timeless quality which allows them to be enjoyed over and over again.

Outstanding books are the result of a collaborative effort between authors, publishers and printers, and the award criterion emphasizes production values as well as artistic merit. The Will Rogers Medallion Award for Outstanding Merit/Excellence in Printing and Publication is awarded annually to those publishing houses that contribute the high production values, commercial viability and prestige to volumes of cowboy poetry.

The Medallion Awards will be presented during the 2007 Will Rogers Award Show. The Will Rogers Medallion Awards are separate from the Buck Ramsey Cowboy Poetry Book of the Year, also presented at the Will Rogers Award Show. These books are still in strong contention for that award. The Twelfth Annual Academy of Western Artists Will Rogers Award Show will be held in Garland, TX on August 6th, 2007.

Check the websites for more information on the upcoming events: www.awa-awards.org/WillRogersAwards/index.html

Contact Charles Williams at 214-750-1362 with any questions you may have on the Medallion Awards.
E-mail: cewcbpo8@sbcglobal.net