Dayton Hamvention® has long been the backdrop for recognizing those who have made significant contributions to the amateur radio community. In addition to Hamvention’s own 2026 awards, the DX and Contest Dinners – with attendees from around the world – offered a perfect opportunity to highlight outstanding achievements in those segments of amateur radio. 

The Southwest Ohio DX Association’s (SWODXA’s) DX Dinner on Friday night was the base for multiple award presentations, following the keynote address on “radiosportsmanship” by ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA.

The Heritage CQ DX Hall of Fame, launched in 1967 and currently administered by INDEXA, the International DX Association, welcomed two new members, legendary QSL manager Charles Wilmott, MØOXO, and avid DXpeditioner Elvira Simoncini, IV3FSG. Elvira, who has operated from 34 different DXCC entities, is only the third woman inducted, and the first to be so honored individually rather than with her husband. SWODXA honored Yuris Petersons, YL2GM, as DXpeditioner of the Year for his operation from Marion Island as ZS8W, during which he completed more than 31,000 contacts; and the 9U1RU operation from Burundi – which netted nearly 180,000 QSOs – was honored as DXpedition of the Year. Finally, the Northern California DX Foundation presented its “DXcellence” awards to the PJ6Y operation from Sable Island for its emphasis on youth participation, and to the 100% solar-powered and 100% remote KP5/NP3VI operation from Desecheo Island, another game-changer for DXpeditions.

Minster spoke on “radio sportsmanship,” challenging the DXers in the room to pay serious attention to questions about excessive power, remote operating that uses stations in multiple locations, “pay to play” for getting confirmations from some DX stations, whether certain stations really need to work DXpeditions on all possible bands and modes while others are trying to make just one contact, the future of the DXCC Honor Roll and deliberate QRM. “The most important aspect of radiosport,” he concluded, “is to have a good time, but not at the expense of others.”

At Saturday night’s Contest Dinner, sponsored by the North Coast Contesters, an international audience of nearly 500 people cheered the induction of four notable competitors into the Contest Hall of Fame, established by CQ magazine in 1986 and administered today by the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF). This year’s inductees are Doug Zwiebel, KR2Q, who revolutionized contest scoring by writing the first mass computerized log-checking software back in 1980; Tom Lee, K8AZ, who helped shape modern regional contest club structures as a co-founder of both the North Coast Contesters and the WWROF; Tom Young, K1XM, who created both the Yankee Clipper Contest Club SO2R (Single-Operator 2 Radios) Box hardware and the widely-used Open Two Radio Switching Protocol; and Mark Pride, K1RX, antenna director for the 2014 World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) and producer of a 7-part series on contesting for the Q5 Amateur Radio podcast. The 2026 WRTC, to be held in the United Kingdom this July, was also on the Contest Dinner menu, as the competition’s chairman, Mark Haynes, MØDXR, was the keynote speaker. Emcee and famed contester John Dorr, K1AR, added a light and humorous touch to the evening.