so ive been licensed about 3 years now and just kind of casually worked DX here and there but never really paid attention to which entities i was confirming. looked at my log the other day and realized i probably have like 80-90 confirmed entities already without even trying, so i figured why not actually go for DXCC properly.

my confusion is around how the credits actually get submitted. i know you need 100 confirmed but like, does it matter HOW theyre confirmed? ive got a mix of paper QSLs from the old days (well, my old days, like 2021-2022 lol) and a bunch of LoTW confirmations. can you mix those together for the initial application or do you have to pick one method.

also started looking at WAS and WAZ too because it seems like some of the contacts overlap and you can kind of chase multiple awards at once which seems efficient. is that actually how people do it or am i thinking about this wrong. WAZ seems harder just because some zones are really tough to find active stations in.

anyway any advice from people who have actually gone through the ARRL award submission process would be great, its a bit confusing reading through the rules on the website

yeah you can absolutely mix LoTW and paper QSLs for DXCC, thats totally fine. most people do exactly that. the ARRL just wants to see confirmed QSOs, they dont care how they were confirmed as long as the method is accepted. LoTW credits get pulled in automatically when you apply through their system, and then you can also submit paper cards either by mail or at a hamfest where an ARRL card checker is present. the card checker route is way less stressful than mailing originals if you ask me.

and yes, chasing multiple awards at once is absolutely how people do it. once you start logging with awards in mind you'll naturally be tracking WAS, WAZ, DXCC all at the same time. get yourself something like DXKeeper or even just use the ARRL's LoTW interface and it'll show you where you stand on each. the zones thing is real though, zone 2 for example can go months without much activity unless there's a specific expedition or contest weekend.

im kind of in the same boat as you honestly, got my ticket in 2020 and just recently started caring about confirmations. one thing i didnt realize until embarrasingly late is that not all QSOs on LoTW match up automatically -- both sides have to upload their log for it to confirm. had a bunch of contacts where i uploaded my side and waited forever and nothing happened. so if you worked someone and its been a while with no LoTW confirm, sometimes sending a direct QSL or even a card via the bureau is worth it just to have a backup.