Western Magazine Awards finalists announced

Finalists have been announced for the Western Magazine Awards, which will be presented June 20 in Vancouver. Dominating the awards with 21 nominations is Vancouver magazine. The Lifetime Achievement Award is being presented to Andris Taskans, the editor of Prairie Fire, published in Winnipeg.

The Gala Dinner & Awards, hosted by Steve Burgess, is being held at River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, B.C. Individual tickets are $90 (plus GST) and a table for 10 is $900 (plus GST).

As in previous years, the lead-up to the awards gala is Magazines West, a series of professional seminars, co-presented with the British Columbia Association of Magazine Publishers (BCAMP). Also at River Rock.

On Thursday, June 19th, the seminars include:

• The Art and Science of Selling, with Rebecca Legge, director of Digital Sales and Sales Manager for BC Business magazine (Canada Wide)
• Build Your National Ad Sales Program, with Marion da Ponte of da Ponte + company, a boutique sales representation firm that specializes in ad sales for publications mostly in regional markets.
• Keynote luncheon address is by Derek Webster, publisher of Maisonneuve
• Usage Traps and Myths, by freelance editor, writer and instructor Frances Peck
  
• Best Business Practices for Freelancers, by Elisa Hendricks of Midlyn HR Communications
  

On Friday, June 20th:

• The Education of Editors: How We Learn To Do What We Do with Sarah Fulford, editor of Toronto Life magazine
• Getting the Global Picture with photographer Wendell Phillips
• The Grilled Editors Luncheon featuring Matt O’Grady, editor of BCBusiness, Terry-Lynn Stone, editorial director for Teldon Publishing, Eric Rumble, managing editor of up! magazine, and Dan Rubinstein, editor of unlimited
  
• Second Life: Cyber Newsstands that Draw Readers One Keyword @ at a Time with Joy Gugeler, editor-in-chief of Suite101.com.