WWBOTA AWARDS FRAMEWORK
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WWBOTA Lifetime CW Award

Background

The WWBOTA Lifetime CW Award recognizes operators who demonstrate proficiency in Morse code (CW) operations while pursuing bunker activations and hunting. This lifetime achievement award celebrates the traditional skill of CW operation within the WWBOTA community and encourages the preservation and practice of Morse code communication.

Key Distinction: This award requires all qualifying contacts to be made using CW mode only. Contacts made on other modes (SSB, digital, etc.) do not count toward this award.

DXCC Entity Requirements:

  • For Activators: No DXCC entity restriction – activators can activate bunkers anywhere, including within their home DXCC entity
  • For Hunters: Must work bunkers located in DXCC entities outside the DXCC entity they are hunting from

This award is designed to reward:

  • Proficiency in CW operations
  • International CW activity for hunters
  • Long-term dedication to Morse code operation
  • Building CW contacts across the global WWBOTA community

National Awards: This award is totally independent of any national rules and awards which may credit bunkers within their national rules for national awards.

Award Type and Period

Lifetime Achievement Award:

  • No annual reset – progress accumulates over the operator’s lifetime
  • Each unique bunker can only be claimed once in a lifetime
  • Previous contacts remain valid permanently

Award Commencement: This award applies from March 1, 2026. Only QSOs made from this date inclusive are valid for this award.

Scoring System

Mode Requirement: Only contacts made using CW (Morse code) mode are valid for this award.

DXCC Entity Requirement (Hunters only): Only bunkers located outside the DXCC entity the hunter is operating from count toward the Hunter category. For example, if hunting from UK (England), bunkers in England cannot be claimed, but bunkers in France, Germany, USA, etc. can be claimed. If the same hunter travels to France and hunts from there, they cannot claim French bunkers but can claim bunkers in other entities.

DXCC Entity Requirement (Activators): No restriction – activators can activate bunkers in any DXCC entity, including their home entity.

Bunker Uniqueness: Each bunker can only be claimed once in a lifetime, regardless of how many times it is worked or activated in CW.

Award Categories and Tiers

Category 1: ACTIVATOR

Successfully activating unique bunkers in CW mode:

Scoring Rules:

  • 1 point per bunker activated
  • Multi-bunker activations (up to 5fer) allowed – each bunker in the activation counts separately
  • Each unique bunker can only be claimed once in lifetime
  • Minimum 25 valid CW QSOs per activation (HF or mixed HF/VHF) or 10 valid CW QSOs (VHF/UHF only)
  • Bunkers can be activated in any DXCC entity if the bunker is on the WWBOTA list

Award Tiers:

  • Bronze: 5 bunkers
  • Silver: 10 bunkers
  • Gold: 25 bunkers
  • Platinum: 50 bunkers
  • Diamond: 100 bunkers
  • Master: 200 bunkers

Category 2: HUNTER

Successfully working bunkers in CW mode outside the hunter’s operating DXCC entity:

Scoring Rules:

  • 1 point per bunker worked
  • Each unique bunker can only be claimed once in lifetime
  • Only bunkers outside the DXCC entity the hunter is operating from count
  • If a multi-bunker activation (2fer, 3fer, etc.) is worked, each bunker can be claimed separately (if outside the hunter’s operating entity)

Award Tiers:

  • Bronze: 10 bunkers
  • Silver: 20 bunkers
  • Gold: 50 bunkers
  • Platinum: 100 bunkers
  • Diamond: 200 bunkers
  • Master: 400 bunkers

Award Rules

Confirmation Requirements

  • All contacts must be logged in WWBOTA Logger
  • Claims submitted via WWBOTA Logger
  • Mode must be recorded as CW in the log

Technical Specifications

  • Mode requirement: CW only – no other modes count
  • DXCC entity requirement (Hunters): Bunkers must be outside the DXCC entity the hunter is operating from
  • DXCC entity requirement (Activators): No restriction – any DXCC entity valid
  • Bunker eligibility: Only bunkers on the WWBOTA list are valid
  • Bunker uniqueness: Each bunker claimed once in lifetime
  • Valid date range: QSOs from March 1, 2026 onwards – lifetime achievement

Category-Specific Rules

Activator:

  • Minimum activation requirement: 25 valid CW QSOs per activation (HF or mixed HF/VHF) or 10 valid CW QSOs per activation (VHF/UHF only)
  • Multi-bunker activations (up to 5fer) allowed – each bunker counts separately
  • Bunkers can be activated in any DXCC entity if the bunker is on the WWBOTA list
  • Each unique bunker can only be claimed once in lifetime

Hunter:

  • Only CW contacts with bunkers outside the DXCC entity the hunter is operating from count
  • In multi-bunker activations, each unique bunker worked counts separately (if outside the hunter’s operating entity)
  • Each unique bunker can only be claimed once in lifetime

Relationship to Other WWBOTA Awards

This award operates independently but can be pursued simultaneously with other WWBOTA awards:

Synergies:

  • WWBOTA Lifetime Awards: CW contacts also count toward general Lifetime Awards (if requirements are met)
  • Annual DXCC Awards: CW contacts contribute to DXCC entity collection
  • Annual Activity Awards: Days with CW operations count toward activity awards
  • Annual Activation Operations Award: CW activation operations count toward activation operations totals

An operator can work toward multiple award programs with the same CW operating activities, maximizing recognition for CW operation.

Multi-Bunker Activation Considerations

For activators conducting multi-bunker activations in CW (up to 5fer):

  • Each bunker in the activation scores 1 point for the Lifetime CW Award
  • The same activation contributes to other award categories
  • Hunters working the activation can claim each unique bunker for their Lifetime CW Award (if bunkers are outside the hunter’s operating entity)

Example: An activator conducts a 3fer CW activation from bunkers in France:

  • Activator scores 3 points for Lifetime CW Award (Activator category)
  • Each of the 3 bunkers counts toward other applicable awards
  • A hunter operating from France cannot claim these bunkers (same operating entity)
  • A hunter operating from Belgium can claim all 3 bunkers for their Lifetime CW Award
  • A UK hunter who travels to France cannot claim these bunkers while operating from France

Maximum Possible Achievement: Dependent on operator’s access to and ability to work/activate bunkers in CW mode from March 1, 2026 onwards. The Master tier represents exceptional long-term dedication to CW operation within WWBOTA.