In 10 years as a college sports information director, Bo Smolka won several national awards in the annual writing contest sponsored by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He won “Best in the Nation” in the General Feature category three years in a row and won the National Story of the Year award in 1996. That year, he was named “The Nation’s Best Overall Writer” by CoSIDA.
He has also been nationally recognized for his travel and feature writing. A story he wrote on his father’s cross-country hitch-hiking trip was named a gold medal winner in the 2023 Solas Awards for travel writing.
- Solas Awards
2023 — Gold Medal, “My Father Not Yet My Father,” Panorama: The Journal of Travel, Place, and Nature
- Parenting Publications of America
2003 — Gold Medal, Feature Writing, 30,000-50,000 category
“High Five: Quintuplets Give Orioles’ Melvin Mora His Own Cheering Section,” Maryland Family
- CoSIDA Annual Writing Contest
1996 — Best in the Nation, General Feature and National Story of the Year — “Leveling the Field”
1996 — Best in the Nation, Opinion/Editorial — “They Say It’s Just A Game”
1995 — Best in the Nation, General Feature — “Special Delivery for Buddy Ryan”
1994 — Best in the Nation, General Feature — “A Story of Friendship”
1993 — Best in the Nation, Personality Profile — “The Secret of His Success”