British Columbia and Cottage Life win gold at IRMA awards

Cottage Life and British Columbia were the only two Canadian magazines to win awards from the International Regional Magazines Association (IRMA), which this year was celebrating its 50th anniversary. The awards were given out last week at the association's annual conference, held this year in Branson, Missouri.

Both titles were finalists for magazine of the year in the over-40,000 circulation category (an award won by Arizona Highways). Other awards won by the Canadian titles (one among several who belong to the association, whose 39 members are predominantly located in the U.S.) were:

British Columbia

Gold

• Nature Feature:“GSI: Grizzly site investigators” by Dave Quinn (Fall 2009)
• Special Focus: “50 things to do before you die,” various authors (Summer 2009)

Silver

• Illustration: “50things to do before you die,” illus. by Paul Zwolak (Summer 2009)

Bronze

• Profiles:“Annie Oakley of the Chilcotin” by Danielle Egan (Fall 2009)
• Overall Art Direction(over 40,000 circulation): Art Director Ken Seabrook

Award of Merit

• Travel Feature:“Itcha Ilgachuz” by Larry Pynn (Spring 2009)
• Culture Feature:“Secrets of Klemtu” by David Leach (Fall 2009)
• Art Direction of a SingleStory: “Nick Bantock’s Saltspring,” ArtDirector Ken Seabrook (Spring 2009)

Cottage Life

Gold

• Profiles: “Life at the Taxidermy Motel” by Gerald Hannon (Oct. 2009)
• Illustration: "Waterfront not included" by Ray Ford (Summer 2009)

Silver

• Environment feature: “Whose island is it, anyway?” by Sarah Scott (Summer 2009)
• Art direction of a Single Story: “Take it, or leave it?” Art Director Kim Zagar (Oct. 2009)
• Overall Art direction (over 40,000 circulation): Art Director Kim Zagar
• Department: “Puttering” by Cottage Life staff and contributors

Bronze

• Public issues: “This land is their land” by John Lorinc (June 2009)  
• Travel feature: “They did it their way” by Jim Moodie (June 2009)

Award of Merit

• Historical feature: “Chair wars” by Douglas Hunter (April 2009)
• Cover (May 2009)