Craftsmanship on Display: 2026’s Grand National Callmaking Competition
The NWTF is celebrating its 50th Convention and Sport Show, and for more than 30 of those years, the Grand National Custom Callmaking Competition has been a staple component of the event. With the historic anniversary, it was no surprise that contestants submitted 1,396 registered calls.
“The call makers who enter this competition are extremely dedicated to both the art of the craft and the competitive nature,” said Kevin Alley, contest organizer. “This year was another great turnout that is likely to raise approximately $250,000 in revenue when the calls are sold off at live auction and online. This will raise significant funding that propels the NWTF’s mission.”
For those unfamiliar with the intricacies of the competition, here is a high-level explanation of how the top winners are selected: There are more than 90 call categories rolled up into dozens of organizational classes across five main divisions. Every category has a winner. Then clusters of categories are grouped into classes, and those calls are judged against one another to determine the best-in-class winner. Finally, the class winners are judged again for best-of-show and other special honors.
Call makers faced fierce competition, as the level of talent on display was extraordinary. Here are some of the winners who managed to take home some of the major honors in each of the five main divisions:
Division 1 - Decorative Turkey
These calls are judged on the merit of the artists’ talents, meaning the presentation of art combined with a working turkey call.
Rick Stewart (Call 1103) won Best of Class I – Box Call Champion, the Earl Duckett Award.
Jeff D’ Agostino (Call 206) won Best of Class II - Air Operated Champion.
Heather Van Doorn (Call 586) won Best of Class III - Friction Champion and Best of Show - Callmaker of the Year, the Earl Mickel Award.
Clayborn Dotson (Call 849) won Best of Class IV – Matched and Presentation Champion.
Division 2 - Hunting Turkey
These calls are judged on the merit of how well it performs in the hands of a turkey hunter.
Zachary Roberts (Call 1197) won Best of Class I – the Gibson Award.
Jon Hoff (Call 788) won Best of Class II - The D.D. Adams Award and Best of Show - Call Maker of the Year (The Charley Burke Award).
Seth Hamom (Call 1258) won the Best of Class III – Tom Turpin Award.
Mike Lapp (Call 945) won Best of Class IV – the Charles L. Jordan Award.
Scott Baseshore (Call 401) won the Best of Class V – the Jeremiah Stevens Award.
Division 3 - Decorative Duck
These calls are judged on the merit of the artist’s talents, meaning the presentation of art combined with a working waterfowl call.
Brent Hoover (Call 1138) won the Grand National Champion Call Maker of the Year - Best of Show.
Division 4 - Hunting Duck
These calls are judged on the merit of how well it performs in the hands of a waterfowl hunter.
Ronald Laun (Calls 1319 and 1345) won Grand National Champion of Champions - Hunting Duck and Goose Call and Grand National Champion Call Maker of the Year - Best of Show.
Division 5 - Wildlife Art
These wildlife art pieces are submitted by artists in general, though call makers are encouraged to participate.
Timothy Oldham Jr. (Call 1362) won the Wildlife Art Multi-Medium Champion and the Best of Show Wildlife Art Award.
Although some of the calls entered in the Grand National Callmaking Contest will be auctioned live at the sport show in Nashville, most will be auctioned online soon after the event. This way, many who are interested in owning a contest call but might not be able to can participate in the online auctions.
The Grand National Callmaking Competition is an important tradition of NWTF’s annual Convention and Sport Show, and the big event is always quite impressive. 2026 was another great year with excellent, award-winning wild turkey and waterfowl calls. Congratulations to all competitors who participated.