The Award Program That’s Changing Ham Radio Forever: World Wide Award

Max IW1FRU, Lorenzo IU1NSA, and Carlo IK1HJS, Fabio I4UFH, and Maurizio IV3ZXQ are the team behind the World Wide Award—a ham radio event that has grown from a single spark during WRTC Italy in 2023 into a full-blown phenomenon lighting up the HF bands twice a year.

The origin story? Classic ham ingenuity. With Carlo leading WRTC Italy, the team needed a way to promote the event not just online, but on the air. That’s when he tapped Max and Lorenzo—two tech-savvy hams already tinkering with award software. Their goal: make something simple, engaging, and powerful enough to stir interest well beyond the contesting elite. What began as the WRTC Award became a platform that now powers World Wide Award, or WWA.

And it’s not small potatoes. We’re talking 3.7 million QSOs in a single month. Real-time scoring. Seamless logging. Instant EQSLs. Interfaces that look like they were built this decade. It’s a massive lift—and a serious injection of activity into the ham bands.

The best part? Anyone can join. Activators run like mini-DXpeditions, while hunters chase them down across modes and bands. It’s not a contest, which means less pressure, more flexibility, and a whole lot of fun. Operate when you want, however you want—and watch the pileups follow.

The January event runs all month. The July sprint is a one-week frenzy. Both are fueled by an elegant mix of high-tech backend, grassroots energy, and growing international participation. Even Randy K5ZD is all in, calling it one of his favorite operating events.

Looking ahead, the team is rolling out Ham Copilot—a real-time assistant for DXers—and HamStream, a livestreaming integration for QRZ profiles. They’re not just building tools; they’re reshaping how we experience the hobby.

Want in? Head to hamaward.cloud/wwa. Whether you’re an activator, a hunter, or just someone tired of hearing “ham radio is dying,” this might change your mind.

This conversation was part of W1DED Worldwide Ham Radio. Join the conversation. Subscribe for more.