Contributor of the Year
The Cantius Award
Each year, The Armory Life singles out one contributor whose work did the most for the site and its print magazine — and hands them a certificate, a firearm, and a crimson jacket that is impossible to miss.
Introduced in March 2022, it uses the middle name of M1 Garand designer John C. Garand to highlight the innovation and impact by the writer.
What Is the Cantius Award?
The Cantius Award is an annual award given to the prior year's top contributor at The Armory Life. The inaugural award was presented in 2022.
The award is named after John Cantius Garand, the designer of the famous M1 Garand rifle carried into combat by United States troops. The rifle revolutionized infantry tactics and helped to liberate the world. The importance that rifle had in defending freedom is the same kind of impact writers receiving the Cantius Award have on readers.
Selection of the Cantius Award winner is made by the editorial staff of The Armory Life. Among the factors considered:
- Uniquely valuable contributions made to the publication
- Consistency in quality in writing, photography, and videography work
- Reader feedback
What the Winner Receives
Each Cantius Award recipient receives:
- A framed Cantius Award certificate, signed by the editor-in-chief.
- A Springfield Armory firearm — a different model each year, sometimes engraved or customized for the recipient.
- The Cantius Award jacket in The Armory Life's crimson, with an embroidered gold “A” on the chest. Only award winners have one.
Paul Carlson, the first winner, called the jacket his favorite part of the award — a conversation starter, but also “a symbol of what it means to live The Armory Life.” Announcing the 2022 Cantius Award
Who It Is Named After
Cantius is the middle name of John Cantius Garand, the designer of the M1 Garand rifle.
The Armory Life chose the name for its connection to the foundational history of one of Springfield Armory's most iconic firearms — the M1A rifle. The lineage runs directly from Garand's work.
The M1 Garand proved itself in battle throughout World War II, the Korean War and on into the Cold War. It also provided the foundation for the development of the M14 rifle, which carried on the M1's tradition while adapting the design to the future needs of the U.S. military.
The M14's official run as the primary U.S. service rifle was short, but it inspired the semi-automatic M1A produced by Springfield Armory in Geneseo, Illinois. The original M14, meanwhile, has continued to serve in specialized military roles through to the present day.
So the award's name reaches back past the M1A, past the M14, to the man whose design started the line.
Past Winners
Four contributors have received the Cantius Award. Select a name to read why they won.
Paul Carlson
Defensive firearms instructor and founder of Safety Solutions Academy
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Jeremy Tremp
Filmmaker, photographer and co-founder of Offensive Marketing Group
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Tom Laemlein
Military historian and author of more than 30 books
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Scott Conditt
Filmmaker, photographer and co-founder of Offensive Marketing Group
Read more ›Years shown are the years in which each award was presented. The Armory Life has described the Cantius Award as honoring the top contributor of the previous year, and the certificates are dated accordingly.