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FAIRFAX, Va. - The National Rifle Association has selected three of its top Junior members to receive the 2006 Outstanding Achievement Youth Award, recognizing them for their active participation in the shooting sports and commitment to educational pursuits. Overall, $10,000 in scholarship money was awarded to the winners thanks to a donation from Brownells, the world's largest supplier of firearms accessories and gunsmithing tools.

First-place winner Johnathan W. Zimmerer, 17, of Gainesville, Texas, is a member of the Lindsay 4-H Shooting Club and currently serves as president of the 4-H Sharpshooter Club of Cooke County — a club that he helped found. An accomplished shooter, Zimmerer has reached the expert level in indoor and outdoor 3-position smallbore shooting and has competed at USA Shooting's Junior Olympic Smallbore Championships. Zimmerer, who will receive a $5,000 scholarship as the first-place winner, is also active in his community, having presented the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® program to children in his church and served as a volunteer at the Friends of the NRA since 2002.

"Johnathan personifies many of the qualities we look for in the next generation of leaders," said Matt Szramoski, Manager, NRA Youth Programs. "Through his participation in competitive shooting, hunting, wildlife conservation and safety training, Johnathan has demonstrated leadership, self-discipline and responsibility."

Second-place finisher Shannon Curtin, 20, of Berwick, Pa., has been shooting competitively since the age of five. She has qualified for and placed at the Pennsylvania 4-H shooting competition on numerous occasions and most recently competed at the New Jersey State Indoor Championships in 2005 as a member of the Nescopech Shooting Stars 4-H team. A founding member of the Berwick High School Rifle Team, Curtin notched the first perfect shooting season in league history during her senior campaign and placed second overall in the state of Pennsylvania. Curtin, who will receive a $3,000 scholarship, has also taught the Eddie Eagle program to second and third graders and participated in the 2003 NRA Youth Education Summit in Washington, D.C.

Jeffrey D. Lambin, 18, of Gardnerville, Nev., took home third-place and its accompanying $2,000 scholarship for his commitment to the shooting sports. Lambin is president of the Douglas County 4-H Sharp Shooters Club and represented the national 4-H shooting sports organization at the Safari Club International convention in Reno, Nev., in 2005. Lambin enjoys teaching shooting to others, and, as an NRA-certified assistant instructor, is authorized to help teach basic rifle and shotgun courses.

All NRA Junior members (or NRA Regular or Life members under age 18) who are current members of an NRA-affiliated club or State Association and who have completed one NRA Basic Firearm Training Course are eligible for the award. Applicants must also have earned at least one rating (pro-marksman, marksman, sharpshooter, expert, or distinguished expert) through the NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program and submitted a 1,000-word essay entitled, "Why I Became Involved in the Shooting Sports."

Aside from these core requirements, applicants must have participated in at least five NRA-sponsored programs. These elective requirements include presenting the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® program, attending the Youth Education Summit, attending the Youth Hunter Education Challenge, entering a submission in the NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest, or participating at the National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio, among others.

For more information on the Outstanding Achievement Youth Award or how to apply, please contact NRA's Youth Programs Department at (703) 267-1505 or visit us at www.nrahq.org/youth/.

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