More than 200 finalist nominees for National Magazine Awards have been announced

The finalist nominees for the 40th annual National Magazine Awards, including five finalists for the prestigious magazine of the year, have been announced. A release from the National Magazine Awards Foundation says more than 200 Canadian creators are up for awards in 25 categories.

"This year, 197 Canadian magazines from coast to coast to coast—English and French, print and digital—entered the best of their editorial and design work to the National Magazine Awards, submitting the work of more than 2,000 writers, editors, photographers, illustrators, art directors and other creators.
 "The NMAF’s 112 volunteer judges have nominated a total of 202 submissions from 75 different Canadian magazines for awards in 25 written, visual, integrated and special categories."

[It had earlier been announced that Penny Caldwell, publisher and vice-president of Cottage Life Media, will be presented with the prestigious Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement.]

The five finalists for magazine of the year -- given to the magazine that most consistently engages, suprises and serves the needs of the readers -- are:

• Cottage Life, published by Blue Ant Media
• Explore, published by My Passion Media
• Nouveau Projet, published by Atelier 10
• Ricardo, published by Ricardo Media
• The Kit Compact, published by Star Media Group

The five finalists for best new magazine writer -- given to the individual whose early work in magazines shows the highest degree of craft and promise -- are:

• Kyle Edwards, “Yearning to Learn Ojibway” (Maclean’s) 
• Viviane Fairbank, “Hot Mess” (Ryerson Review of Journalism) 
• Amorina Kingdon “The Questionable Science of Vancouver’s Port Expansion” (Hakai Magazine) 
• Eternity Martis, “Know Your History, Know Your Greatness” (Hazlitt) 
• Sharon J. Riley, “Burning Bush” (Maisonneuve)

Top nominated magazines:

Magazine	Nominations
The Walrus	14
L’actualité	13
Report on Business	11
Air Canada enRoute	8
Nouveau Projet	8
Hazlitt	6
Maclean’s	6
Ricardo	6
Toronto Life	6
Maisonneuve	5
Cottage Life	4
The Malahat Review	4
The New Quarterly	4

Top nominated creators:

• Edmonton freelance writer Omar Mouallem leads all creators with 4 nominations for 4 different stories published in 4 magazines (Avenue, Hazlitt, Sharp, University Affairs). 
• Writer Richard Kelly Kemick is nominated 3 times—twice in fiction and once in one of kind, which he won last year—for stories in 3 magazines (Geist, Maisonneuve, The New Quarterly).
• Quebec writer Catherine Perreault-Lessard is also nominated 3 times for 3 stories published in Châtelaine, L’actualité and Ricardo. 
• Maclean’s writer Nancy McDonald is also nominated 3 times for 2 different stories.
• The Walrus writer/editor Katherine Laidlaw is nominated twice as a writer, and she is also the handling editor on 6 other Walrus stories nominated for National Magazine Awards. 
• Other writers nominated twice include Bruce Livesey (Report on Business), Jason McBride (Canadian Art, Toronto Life), Mark Pupo (Toronto Life), and Nael Shiab (L’actualité). 
• Illustrators Byron Eggenschwiler (Vancouver Magazine) and Gérard DuBois (L’actualité) are each nominated twice.
• Photographers Peter Ash Lee (Corduroy), Chris Nicholls (FASHION Magazine) and Virginia McDonald (Air Canada enRoute) are each nominated twice.

To view all nominees, download the PDF

Gold, silver and honourable mention awards will be announced at the Arcadian Court in Toronto on May 26.  Gold winners in writing and visual categories receive a cash prize of $1,000. Silver winners receive an awards certificate, the rest honourable mentions. Tickets are on sale here.