Maclean's, Toronto Life and Hazlitt major Magawards medalists

The 42nd annual National Magazine awards were produced and presented Friday evening by the National Media Awards Foundation* at the Arcadian Court in Toronto. Among the highlights:

Top winning magazines	Gold	Silver
Maclean’s	4
Toronto Life	3	2
Hazlitt	3	1
Cottage Life	2
Maisonneuve	2
Nouveau Projet	2	3
The Walrus	2	2
Dinette	1	2
The New Quarterly		2

• Linda Spalding an acclaimed writer and longtime editor of the literary journal Brick was presented with the 2019 Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement.
• Mathieu Lachapelle of Dînette Magazine captured three awards for his photography work, winning Silver for Portrait Photography and winning both Gold and Silver in Lifestyle Photography.
• Anthony Oliveira is a 2019 two-time Gold winner in Long Form Feature Writing and Essay, for his piece “Death in the Village” published in Hazlitt.
• The Walrus swept the Illustration (including spot and photo illustration) category: “The End of an Empire” by Sébastien Thibault won silver, while “Bad Code” by Cristian Fowlie took Gold.

• Best Magazine: News, Business, General Interest
• GOLD: Nouveau Projet; HONOURABLE MENTION: The Walrus, Toronto Life
• Best Magazine: Special Interest 
• GOLD: Up Here Magazine; HONOURABLE MENTION: Fete Chinoise, U of T Medicine
• Best Magazine: Service & Lifestyle
• GOLD: Cottage Life; HONOURABLE MENTION: Elle Canada, FASHION Magazine
• Best Magazine: Art, Literary, & Culture
• GOLD: Esse arts + opinion; HONOURABLE MENTION: Canadian Art, The Site Magazine

• Publisher Grand Prix award recognizes a publisher whose brand best delivers on their editorial mandate through numerous platforms. From the three nominees—Canadian Geographic, Inuit Art Quarterly, and Toronto Life—Ken Hunt publisher of Toronto Life received gold. In their discussion, the jury put it thusly:  if you live in Toronto, you know Toronto Life, and as Toronto is growing, Toronto Life is growing with it.
• Editor Grand Prix award is given for a senior-level editor who demonstrated a high degree of excellence, making an outstanding impact on their magazine. Alison Uncles of Maclean’s was the proud recipient of this year’s award.
• Best New Magazine Writer was awarded to Max Binks-Collier for “Distant Relatives,” published in Maisonneuve. The jury had this to say of Max’s work: ““Distant Relatives” is a suspenseful, in-depth exploration of medical malpractice and the institutional complicity that allowed it to happen. With his thoughtful interviews and extensive historical research, Binks-Collier pulls readers in and keeps them hooked all the way through.”

To see a complete list of winners in all categories, please visit https://magazine-awards.com/

*A charitable foundation, the NMAF’s mandate is to recognize, support and promote excellence in content creation of Canadian print and digital publications through annual programs of awards and national publicity efforts. The Foundation produces three distinct and bilingual award programs: the National Magazine A,wards the Digital Publishing Awards, and the National Magazine Awards: B2B.

Winners announced for National Magazine Awards: B2B

• Pivot, CPA Canada won the prestigious Best Magazine award, including 5 other gold awards. Writer Luc Rinaldi of Pivot, CPA Canada is a two-time Gold winner in the categories of Best Profile of a Company (for “Boy Wonder”) and Best Profile of a Person (for “The Decider”). 
• Les Affaires (TC Media) was the recipient of the inaugural Best Publisher award. 

The National Magazine Awards: B2B were produced by the National Media Awards Foundation and the winners across 18 awards categories were announced at a luncheon this week. (The new format replaces the longtime KRWs (Kenneth R. Wilson Awards) for trade and B2B publishing. This was one of three awards programs produced by the NMAs this week, including the Digital Publishing Awards and the National Magazine Awards.)

For all gold and silver winners and runners up

Mag awards finalists announced: Leading the pack L’actualité, The Walrus and Report on Business

The finalists for this year's National Magazine Awards have been announced by the National Media Awards Foundation. 197 Canadian magazine, in English and French, print and digital, submitted the work of more than 2,000 writers, editors, photographers, iullustrators, art directors and other creators. The winners will be announced at the Magawards gala on June 1 at the Arcadian Court in Toronto.

Joyce Byrne

Joyce Byrne is this year's recipient of the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement, recognizing her career excellence and leadership in Canadian magazines. She is the current president of the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association and recent president of the National Media Awards Foundation. She is group publisher at Red Point Media and publisher of Avenue Calgary.  To read Joyce’s complete bio, visit magazine-awards.com/oa. 

Nominated by 150 volunteer judges were a total of 208 submissions from 81 different Canadian magazines for awards in 29 written and visual, editorial and best magazine categories. 

This year, for the first time, awards for best magazines will be presented to publications in six divisions and from the category winners will be selected "best in show" to receive the Magazine Grand Prix.

General Interest Magazines 

• L’actualité 
• Nouveau Projet 
• Report on Business

Service Magazines 

• Best Health 
• Rotman Magazine 
• Today’s Parent 

Lifestyle Magazines

• Chatelaine 
• Explore 
• Ricardo 

Fashion & Beauty Magazines 

• ELLE Canada 
• FASHION Magazine 
• S/magazine 

Art & Literary Magazines 

• Brick
• Inuit Art Quarterly 
• The Site Magazine 

Special Interest Magazines 

• Azure
• Hayo 
• Planète F

Read more »

Lisa Whittington-Hill named national volunteer of the year by Magazines Canada

Magazines Canada has announced that Lisa Whittington-Hill, the publisher of This Magazine, has been named Volunteer of the Year for 2017. It is awarded annually to an individual whose outstanding volunteer contributions have had a national impact on the Canadian magazine industry.

“I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this recognition,” said Matthew Holmes, CEO of Magazines Canada. “In addition to her day- (and night-) job at This Magazine, Lisa for years has contributed her time as an advisor and mentor to others. She does a lot of work behind the scenes to mobilize our community and respond to industry needs and challenges. She is a constant champion of our small-but-mighty Canadian magazines.”

This and several other volunteer honours from across the country and the industry will be presented at the Magazines Canada reception on Wednesday, April 25: 

• Joanne Rajotte, MagsBC volunteer of the year
• Allan Lacey, Alberta Magazine Publishers Association volunterr of the year
• Craig Sweetman, Magazines Ontario volunteer of the year
• Michel Nivischiuk, Magazines du Quebec volunteer of the year

The presentation will be made at MagNet: Canada’s Magazine Conference at the Courtyard Toronto Downtown at 475 Yonge St. in Toronto.

Finalists for magazine achievement announced by AMPA

The Alberta Magazine Publishers Association (AMPA) has announced the achievement award finalists for 2018. These awards recognize vision and  innovation demonstrated by individuals. 

• Achievement in Publishing -- Joyce Byrne, group publisher for RedPoint Media & Marketing Solutions
• Editor of the Year -- Jaelyn Molyneux, executive editor of digital content for Avenue Calgary.
• Volunteer of the Year -- Allan Lacey, the treasurer of AMPA
• Best New Magazine -- League, the publication of the League of Landscape Photographers

Finalists for Magazine of the year are:

• Avenue Edmonton
• Eighteen Bridges
• New Trail

Finalists and winners will be celebrated at the 2018 Alberta Magazine Awards Gala on Thursday, March 8 at the Carriage House Inn in Calgary. 

Finalists named for AMPA showcase awards.

The finalists for the Alberta Magazine Awards 2018 showcase have been released. The event is to be held March 8 at the Carriage House Inn in Calgary where the ultimate winners in 20 categories will be announced. 

Finalists for Magazine of the Year, Best New Magazine and the recipients of Achievement in Publishing, Editor of the Year and Volunteer of the Year will be announced Thursday, February 8.

Magazine awards programs are merged

The National Media Awards Foundation and Magazines Canada have announced the merger of their respective awards programs into one.  

Starting December 1st, the National Magazine Awards will be a unified program of 29 categories to honour the outstanding achievements of our industry’s best creators and publishers, and reflect the exciting future of Canadian storytelling—the stories and perspectives that make it unique. Open to all Canadian creators and publications in both official languages, the National Magazine Awards recognize our country’s diverse communities of readers. 

“We are delighted to enter into this new chapter with Magazines Canada to amplify our shared purpose of championing the breadth of excellence and creativity in magazines through one awards program,” said Nino Di Cara, President of the National Media Awards Foundation.  

Last year, for the first time, the Magazine Grands Prix awards were launched by Magazines Canada in effective competition with the NMAs. Now, after extensive discussions,  the merger will blend the two, with the NMAs being given for writing and visual categories (as they have been for 40 years) and Grands Prix awards being given for best magazines in six categories.Plus two special awards will be made during the 41st annual awards: The Magazine Grand Prix for best magazine; and the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement,which recognizes an individual for innovation and creativity.

A third of the NMAF Board will now include magazine community members, who will be appointed in consultation with Magazines Canada. Jessica Johnson, executive editor and creative director from The Walrus, and Dominique Ritter, editor-in-chief from Reader’s Digest Canada were the first such appointees. 

The NMAF has also appointed two new executive members for 2018: Canada’s History Publisher Melony Ward has been elected vice-president for the National Magazine Awards program, and CBC News’ chief of staff Kenny Yum vice-president for the Digital Publishing Awards program, which had for several years been operated by the NMAF.

The complete list of NMAF Directors.  Below are the categories for the awards.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with the National Media Awards Foundation; these unified awards will allow us to truly come together to celebrate the diversity and accomplishments of Canada’s magazine community,” said Matthew Holmes, President and CEO of Magazines Canada. 

Members of the magazine media community are invited to attend ‘Showcasing Success’, an industry networking event on November 2 in Toronto. Representatives from both Magazines Canada and the NMAF will be in attendance to celebrate the new relationship and share more information about the awards program.
Read more »

National Magazine Awards Foundation to change identity and become National Media Awards Foundation

The National Magazine Awards Foundation, so named for 40 years, is changing its corporate identity this fall to become the National Media Awards Foundation. It reflects not only the changing nature of the industry, with publications exploring multiple platforms, but also that the foundation now hosts two awards events -- the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards.

Nino Di Cara, President, National Media Awards Foundation, said [in a release]:

"Given that the Foundation now plays an integral role in celebrating creative achievement in digital media beyond magazines, it is important that our name represents the broader scope of our mission. As a not-for-profit, charitable organization, the NMAF is one of the most trusted brands in Canadian media, and we will continue that tradition of excellence by working with our stakeholders, industry partners, and creators themselves to ensure that our programs represent the incredible achievements in Canadian media."

Globe and Mail leads in Digital Publishing Awards; Canadian Art and CBC News win general excellence golds

The National Media Awards Foundation (NMAF) Thursday evening announced the winners of the 2017 Digital Publishing Awards, recognizing excellence in the content and creation of Canadian digital publications. Gold and Silver awards were made in 21 categories at the Digital Publishing Awards Soirée held at the Spoke Club in Toronto's King West district and hosted by author and illustrator Evan Munday.

“Congratulations to the winners of the 2017 Digital Publishing Awards. The impressive achievements we have honoured tonight underscore the incredible innovation, diversity, and creativity of Canada's digital creators and publishers. We are fortunate to have a vibrant digital media industry in this country and we are proud to support it with the Digital Publishing Awards program.” – Nino Di Cara, NMAF President

Digital Publishing Awards winners in many categories received a $500 cash prize with their award.

Visit live.digitalpublishingawards.ca to view the nominees and winners in all 21 categories.

 GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN DIGITAL PUBLISHING

Canadian Art won the Gold Medal for General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Small Publications.

 “The originality and the creativity of the article subjects is striking,” said the Digital Publishing Awards jury. “Making a magazine that's both dense and approachable is what every editor hopes to achieve, and Canadian Art has succeeded where a lot of us fall short."

CBC News won the Gold Medal for General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Large Publications.

 "CBC News represents a high-water mark for digital publishing in Canada,” remarked the Digital Publishing Awards jury. “Outstanding writing is backed up with photography, video and interactive assets across a breath of topics that matter to Canadians. The team at CBC News continues a great tradition of producing a site that not only leads its peers in Canada, but stands comfortably with any news organization in the world.”

The CBC News team won 3 other Gold Medals in Best News Coverage: Local & Provincial, Best Online Video: Short and Best Service Feature: Family, Health & Careers.

EMERGING EXCELLENCE AWARD

Naël Shiab of L’actualité was named this year’s recipient of the Emerging Excellence Award. The award honours an individual whose early work in Canadian digital publishing shows the highest degree of craft and promise.

According to the Emerging Excellence Award jury:

“Naël Shiab is a bright light shining across the world of journalism. He combines the inquisitiveness and skepticism of a journalist with the creativity and three-dimensional thinking of a coder to create astonishing data-led work that illuminates and educates and entertains. He is the future of journalism and the more Naël Shiabs at work, the better off we are as an informed citizenry.”

 DIGITAL PUBLISHING LEADERSHIP AWARD

The Digital Publishing Leadership Award was presented to Kenny Yum, managing editor of HuffPost Canada. The award honours an individual whose career contributions to Canadian digital publishing deserve recognition and celebration.

“Kenny Yum is the kind of journalistic leader who represents everything that’s exciting and worthwhile in our industry. Long before digital media was a priority for most places, Kenny was already working on merging high-quality Canadian journalism with innovative formats to connect intimately with audiences. After roles at The Globe and Mail, National Post, Financial Post and CBC, Kenny helped launched HuffPost Canada six years ago. There, he’s built one of the country’s youngest, most culturally diverse newsrooms, where he challenges us to strive for excellence and innovation every day.” - Andree Lau, Managing Editor of News at HuffPost Canada

WINNERS HIGHLIGHTS

16 different publications received Digital Publishing Awards this year, including 10 publications which received their first-ever award.

• Canadian Art, Canadian Press, Discourse Media, Hazlitt, HuffPost Canada, L’actualité, Policy Options, Ryerson Review of Journalism, VICE and Wedding Bells all won their first Digital Publishing Award this year.
• CBC News, BuzzFeed Canada, Hakai Magazine, Today’s Parent, The Globe and Mail and Toronto Life won Digital Publishing Awards for the second year.
• Naël Shiab won the inaugural Emerging Excellence Award, as well as the Silver Medal in Best Digital Initiative for his L’actualité piece, “Allez-vous être remplacé par un robot? Demandez-le à… notre robot!”
• The Globe and Mail’s “Crichton Farm” story won Gold in two categories: Best Feature Article: Short and Best Social Storytelling.
• Toronto Life won the Gold Medal in Best Digital Design for the second year in a row.
• The leading publication in this year’s Digital Publishing Awards is The Globe and Mail, winning a total of 12 awards, including 8 Gold and 4 Silver. They also received Honourable Mention in General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Large Publications.

Visit live.digitalpublishingawards.ca to view the winners and runners up in all 21 categories.
 2017 DIGITAL PUBLISHING AWARDS RESULTS (see below)

Read more »

Texas Monthly dominates the [US] City and Regional Awards

Excellence in Design winner
August 2016

Texas Monthly took home seven awards this week in the [U.S.] City and Regional Magazine Awards (CRMA).

It won the profiles category for larger circulations with “The Iconoclast,” Eric Benson’s story of an immunologist who challenged prevailing medical wisdom to uncover a possible cancer cure and won four design awards. “Objects of Our Affection” took top honors for feature design for circulations greater than 60,000 for its inspired use of typography and silhouetted photography that highlight Texas artifacts.

Texas Monthly won Cover Excellence for its impressive use of portraiture and food styling, and the thoughtfully crafted August issue won the Excellence in Design category. Victoria Millner was named Designer of the Year for a diversity of work in Texas Monthly, including eye-catching infographics, beautiful illustrations and engaging use of typography

Chicago Magazine won five awards, including writer of the year to Bryan Smith.Denver's 5280 and Boston Magazine both got three.

The complete list of CRMA winners
Press release of winners

CSME Editors' awards finalists announced

The Canadian Society of Magazine Editors (CSME) has announced the shortlist of finalists for the 2017 Editors' Choice Awards. The winners will be announced on June 7 at the CSME Awards and Social, 5:30 pm at The Pilot, in Toronto, 22 Cumberland Street. Along with the category winners,  winners will be announced for awards for Best Front of Book, the Jim Cormier Award for Best Display Writing and Best Art Integration and CSME’s highest honour, the Editor of the Year Award.

Kirstine Stewart will deliver a keynote address about staying ahead of the curve in our ever-changing media environment and cultivating innovation in your team. As Chief Strategy Officer for Diply, a content platform with more than one billion monthly views, and the former Vice-President of Media at Twitter, Stewart has consistently been at the forefront of media’s evolution. She is also the author of the national bestseller, Our Turn.

The award finalists are…

Best Magazine, Small:
– This Magazine
– BC Business
– Vancouver Magazine
Best Magazine, Medium:
– The Hockey News
– Cottage Life
– Best Health

Best Magazine, Large:
– The Kit Compact
– Style at Home
– ELLE Canada

Best Magazine, Trade:
– Precedent
– Ignite
– Professionally Speaking

Best Magazine, Custom:
– Air Canada EnRoute
– Fairmont Magazine
– Bombardier Magazine
Best Tablet Edition:
– ELLE Canada
– Style at Home
– The Hockey News

Best Web Editorial:
– WesternLiving.ca– Enroute.AirCanada.com– ElleCanada.com– TheKit.ca– VanMag.com– Spacing.ca

Event and ticket information

Vote for best magazine cover of the year must be cast by May 18

The People's Choice for best cover of the year, selecting from 10 finalists, is open for voting through May 18 and the winners will be announced on May 19 on Twitter @MagAwards. 
Vote here

Magazine winners announced in 2016 Atlantic Journalism Awards

The winners of the Atlantic Journalism Awards have been announced May 6 at a gala reception at the St. John's NL Convention Centre. Here are the magazine-related gold and silver winners:

Atlantic Magazine Article

• Gold: Bob Wakeham - Saltscapes - Bedford, NS - Over the top b'ys.
• Silver: Hugh McKervill - Atlantic Salmon Journal - Chamcook, NB - Reflections from the river; Stephen Kimber - Atlantic Business Magazine - St. John's, NL - Film noir.

Atlantic Magazine: Best cover

• Gold: At Home on the North Shore - Pictou, NS - Winter 2016: Merry & bright Kingshead house lights up with Christmas spirit.
• Silver: At Home on the North Shore - Pictou, NS - Summer 2016: Knocking on summer's door; Halifax Magazine - Halifax, NS - December 2016: Building boom.

Atlantic Magazine: Best Profile Article

• Gold: Cary Rideout - Saltscapes - Bedford, NS - Making the chips fly.
• Silver: Crystal Murray - At Home on the North Shore - Pictou, NS - At home with Troy and Jennie Greencorn ; Wade Kearley - Atlantic Business Magazine - St. John's, NL - CEO of the year.

Enterprise Reporting: Print

• Silver: Deborah Carr - Saltscapes - Bedford, NS - Can we save our salmon; Jacob Boon - The Coast - Halifax, NS - Continuity errors

Feature: Print

• Gold: Lezlie Lowe - The Coast - Halifax, NS - Before the murder and after: the life of Tyler Richards.
• Silver: Stephen Kimber - Atlantic Business Magazine - St. John's, NL - Can you spot the security threat?

Commentary: Any Medium

• Silver: Trevor Adams - Halifax Magazine - Halifax, NS - Why honour Edward Cornwallis?

Full awards in all media

Magazine Grands Prix winners announced: The Kit Compact named magazine of the year

The Kit Compact was named magazine of the year in the Magazine Grands Prix, presented Thursday evening at an awards dinner in Toronto. It was chosen as the overall winner from among eight category winners by a panel of five judges including  co-chairs Stanley Péan and Soraya Peerbaye. 

 “The Kit Compact proposes a fresh, feminist vision of the fashion magazine, foregrounding the female body as a site of knowledge, curiosity, resistance, and joy,” wrote Peerbaye. “This is a magazine that sees Canadian women not as consumers, but as creators—and re-creators—of culture. The Kit defines a spectrum of ideals that goes far beyond norms of beauty, to hold a multiplicity of notions on the body, identity and community, celebrating both independence and interdependence.”

The eight best magazine award category winners were:

• Best General Interest Magazine: The Walrus
• Best Service and Lifestyle Magazine: Chatelaine
• Best Food and Beverage Magazine: Dînette Magazine
• Best Fashion and Beauty Magazine: The Kit Compact
• Best Home Design and Décor Magazine, including Gardening: Western Living
• Best Literature and Art Magazine, including Poetry: esse arts + opinions
• Best Science, Business and Politics Magazine: Québec Science
• Best Niche/Special Interest Magazine: Hayo

As previously announced, Carole Beaulieu accepted the Editor Grand Prix for  her work with L’actualité, the Quebec current affairs magazine. 

[Complete list of finalists, winners and judges for each award.]

Read more »

Canadian Woodworking circulators' choice for Magazine of the Year

Wednesday evening April 26th, the CMC Awards for circulators 2017 were presented at the CDS Global Circulator cocktail reception, during the MagNet industry conference in Toronto:

• Audience Development 2017– Canada’s History
• Vendor of the Year 2017 co-winners– Mark Wade, Interprovincial
• and Colleen Moloney, CM Group
• Magazine of the Year 2017– Canadian Woodworking
• Lifetime Achievement Award 2016 – Tom Worsley, president Retail Support Services

Emerge Awards winners named for media work at the postsecondary level

The winners of the third annual Emerge Media Awards (EMAs) were announced Monday night at the event’s awards ceremony in Toronto. Designed to celebrate and showcase the achievements of journalism, media studies and communications students in Canada, the EMAs seek to recognize the best writing, editing, videography, audio, graphic design, communications and public relations work at the postsecondary level.

The winners and runners-up were selected by an independent panel of judges from a record 313 submissions, the eight winning individuals or teams represented various post-secondary institutions across the country:

WRITTEN WORD

First place

Lucas Provencher, MacEwan University

“Point and Shoot”

Second place

Cherise Seucharan, University of British Columbia

“Two Meals a Day: Living on Disability Assistance in Vancouver”

AUDIO STORYTELLING

First place

Clare Bonnyman, Humber College

“The Story of Studio 212”

Second place

Sean Towgood, Tevin Guthrie and Chris Wheeler, Humber College

“Stigma”

VIDEOGRAPHY

First place

Rachel Carlson, Lauren MacGill, Jeff Schultz and Kerri Savard, Red River College

“Beauty in Focus”

Second place

Naseem Loloie, Queen’s University

“Belly Up”

MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION

First place

Megan Beam, Leighia Chapman-Klassen, Harley Davidson, Kathleen Driscoll, Hugo Garcia, John Hopkins-Hill, Melanie Ross, Ryan Thorpe and Alex Yorke, Niagara College

“Crisis on Campus”

Second place

Richa Syal and Jacqueline McKay, Ryerson University

“How Accessible is Ryerson?”

PHOTOGRAPHY

First place

Ans Li, McMaster University

“More”

 Second place

Cody Bonner, Mohawk College

“Unzipped”

PUBLIC RELATIONS

First place

Naeema Bawa, Kayla Da Silva, Dylan Mainprize, Kim Maunder and Ashley Taylor, McMaster University

"Ralphy’s Retreat Strategic Communications Plan"

Second place

Cianna Wilkinson, Sheridan College

“Canada’s Bright Idea”

DESIGN: PRINT MAGAZINE COVER OR SPREAD

First place

Scott Rigmond, Fanshawe College

“Alba Gu Brath (Scotland the Brave)”

Second place

Lauren Gorfinkel and Jason Lau, McMaster University

Incite Magazine: Vol. 19, Issue 2 (Imperfection)

DESIGN: ONLINE MAGAZINE OR NEWS SITE

First place

The Sheridan Sun, Sheridan College

Second place  

The Varsity, University of Toronto

The Emerge Awards and the associated conference are presented by the University of Guelph-Humber, a partnership between the University of Guelph and the Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. Guelph-Humber students earn two credentials; a university honours degree from the University of Guelph and a college diploma from the Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning.