To celebrate the widespread exploration of British naval officer James Cook, the FT8 Digital Mode Club (FT8DMC) offers the Captain James Cook Award. To obtain the award, applicants need to make contact with stations in the places Cook visited.
This award is a synonym for the Captain James Cook Award from NZART.
The award is issued in four classes. The entry level Sailor award requires just five contacts with Ham Radio stations visited by Captain Cook during his voyages. Each subsequent class requires all of the preceding contacts and some additional one. The top level Admiral Class requires contacts with stations in 21 different countries or regions of countries.
| Sailor | Officer | Commander | Admiral |
| England (G) | New Zealand (ZL1) | Alaska (KH7) | Antarctica (CE9) |
| French Polynesia (FO) | New Zealand (ZL3) | New Caledonia (FK) | Magallanes Reg. (CE8) |
| Hawaii (KH6) | New Zealand (ZL4) | Newfoundland (VO) | Vanuatu (YJ) |
| New South Wales (VK2) | Victoria (VK3) | Quebec (VE2) | |
| New Zealand (ZL2) | Queensland (VK4) | Tonga (A3) | |
| Papua New Guinea (P2) |
The certificate features a painting with a map of the world in the background.
To apply for the Captain James Cook Award, and all other FT8DMC 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. FT8DMC 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.