The Black Sea borders nations that have hosted some of the oldest documented civilizations. The Activity Group of Belarus (AGB) issues the Black Sea Award for Ham Radio operators who make a certain number of contacts with countries that border that historic sea.
AGB issues three classes of the award. Each class requires a certain number of contacts and a certain number of countries to qualify. For the entry level award one need only make 10 QSOs covering two of the 6 countries that border the Black Sea.
In addition to the basic all band awards, there are also separate awards available for contacts made on single bands (20 bands from 2190M through 1.25cm).
| Class | QSOs | Countries |
| III | 10 | 2 |
| II | 20 | 4 |
| I | 30 | 6 |
You may submit QSOs made with any one of six digital modes (T10, FT8, JT65, JT9, FT4 and JS8). You can even obtain mode specific versions of the award, further expanding the award program.
The product of bands and modes puts the number of Black Sea awards theoretically around 147. Of course, some combinations are exceedingly unlikely, such as JS8 on 2190M.
The certificate sports a map of the Black Sea with each of the countries which border it shown. It includes the standard AGB Matrix-like background image.
To apply for the Black Sea Award, and all other AGB awards, you must install the UltimateAAC application on a Windows machine. That application scans your WSJT-X ADIF log file and will inform you when you’ve qualified for the award at various levels. AGB issues the award in digital form only (JPG or PDF) with no printing or shipping costs. In fact, the award is completely free, like all of their other awards.