You are likely aware of the most popular Amateur Radio operating awards. DXCC, VUCC, WAZ, WAS, WPX are some of the bigger ones. What’s not as well known is that there are a number of other awards that sometimes closely mirror, if not exactly match, the requirements of the better known awards.
Why bother with such alternatives? It’s a way to get more wallpaper without having to expend a bunch of extra effort. You may have already made all of the QSOs required. Sometimes the alternative awards are cheaper to obtain or are perhaps entirely free. And sometimes the alternative awards feature a nice design or slight requirement twist that makes them attractive.
For example, the JARL’s All Japan Districts (AJD) award for working all 10 Japanese call areas offers a Digital mode version of their certificate. But what if you want an award that specifies all contacts were made using the FT8 mode in particular? Then the FT8DMC group offers their WAJCA award for just this purpose.
Many sponsors issue these synonym awards in electronic form only. This means the costs of award management are essentially zero. Awards issued by the Activity Group Belarus (AGB), European ROS Club (ERS) and FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC), to name just a few, are totally free!
Here are some well known operating awards and their lesser known doppelgangers.
| Award | Synonyms |
| AJD | WAJCA (ERC), WAJCA (FT8DMC), JCA (FT4DMC) |
| DXCC | AGB-Digital Countries, CQ DX, DPT & DXCC (ERC), DX Country Award, OHCA |
| VUCC | WGA (ERC), WVGA (FT8DMC) |
| WAC | DCM (ERC), S6S, WAC (FT4DMC), WAC (FT8DMC), WAC (30MDG) |
| WAE | ECA (CGD), WAE (FT8DMC) |
| WAS | WAS (ERC), WAS (FT8DMC) |
| WAZ | CQ Zone (30MDG), WAZ (FT8DMC) |
| WPX | 30MDGPA, AGB-Digital Prefixes, WPX (FT8DMC) |
Branch out from the ARRL and CQ magazine’s awards and look at some award synonyms. Shake things up a bit and see what else is out there.