The John D. Voelker Foundation and the American Museum of Fly Fishing (AMFF) are pleased to announce a new winner of the 2026 Robert Traver Fly-Fishing Writing Award: “The Goddess of Compassion, Holding Open the Door” by Steve Duda of Seattle, Washington.
“The Goddess of Compassion, Holding Open the Door” is a refreshing personal contemplation on river rocks collected while fly fishing, told with humor, curiosity, and quiet lyricism. According to our judges, it embodies the Traver Award criteria by celebrating the joy of fly fishing, the personal and philosophical experience, humor, and appreciation of the environs where trout are found.
“For me, fly fishing has always been a way into stories about places, people, history, and the things we only notice when we’re out there—the stuff that helps us understand the world and, maybe, become a little more human in it,” Duda said. “To have this work recognized by the Traver Award means a great deal to me.”
Read the winning story by clicking the title below.
The 2026 competition drew a field of 77 stories and essays. Entries were judged anonymously, resulting in seven finalists. In addition to the winner, judges bestowed honorable mention recognition on one entry:
The other four finalists were:
“Falling Scales” by Genevieve Bentz, Bethesda, MD
“Hands and Fish” by Henry Hughes, Monmouth, OR
“Hatches of the Mind” by David Lynch, Concord, MA
“The Gorge” by Norm Richter, Lexington, MA