The American Society of Magazine Editors announced the winners of its National Magazine Awards (adorably nicknamed the "Ellies") last night. Among a formidable collection of finalists, there were a few (but not many) surprises:
GENERAL EXCELLENCE
- Under 100,000 circulation: San Francisco
- 100,000-250,000: Mother Jones
- 250,000-500,000: New York
- 500,000-1,000,000: GQ
- 1,000,000-2,000,000: Men's Health
- Over 2,000,000: National Geographic
SINGLE-TOPIC ISSUE | |
Recognizes magazines that have devoted an issue to the in-depth examination of one topic | |
Winner: Wired
MAGAZINE SECTION | |
Recognizes the excellence of a regular, cohesive front-
or back-of-back section | |
Winner: New York
REPORTING Honors the enterprise, skill and analysis that a magazine exhibits in covering an event or problem of contemporary interest and significance | |
Winner: The New York Times Magazine: Gerald Marzorati, Editor for “The Deadly Choices at Memorial,” by Sheri Fink, August 30 | |
PUBLIC INTEREST | |
Recognizes magazine journalism that illuminates issues of public importance |
Winner: The New Yorker: David Remnick, Editor for “The Cost Conundrum,” by Atul Gawande
FEATURE WRITING | |
Honors the stylishness and originality with which the
writer treats her or his subject | |
Winner: Texas Monthly: Evan Smith, President and Editor-in-Chief; Jake Silverstein, Editor for “Still Life,” by Skip Hollandsworth | |
PROFILE WRITING | |
Honors the vividness and perceptiveness with which the
writer brings his or her subject to life | |
Winner: Esquire: David Granger, Editor-in-Chief for “The Man Who Never Was,” by Mike Sager, May | |
ESSAYS | |
Recognizes the writer’s eloquence, perspective, fresh
thinking and unique voice | |
Winner: National Geographic: Chris Johns, Editor-in-Chief for “Top Ten State Fair Joys,” by Garrison Keillor | |
COLUMNS AND COMMENTARY |
Recognizes excellence in short-form social, economic and
political commentary, including humor | |
Winner: Newsweek: Jon Meacham, Editor for three columns by Fareed Zakaria: “Worthwhile Canadian Initiative,” February 16; “The Way Out of Afghanistan,” September 21; “Theocracy and Its Discontents,” June 29 | |
REVIEWS AND CRITICISM | |
Honors the knowledge, persuasiveness and original voice
that the critic brings to her or his reviews | |
Winner: The New Yorker: David Remnick, Editor for three reviews by Elizabeth Kolbert: “Green Like Me,” August 31; “Flesh of Your Flesh,” November 9; “Hosed.” | |
FICTION | |
Recognizes excellence in fiction published in magazines | |
Winner: McSweeney’s Quarterly: Dave Eggers, Editor for “Memory Wall,” by Anthony Doerr, October 1; “Raw Water,” by Wells Tower, October 1; “Further Interpretations of Real-Life Events,” by Kevin Moffett; March 3 | |
PERSONAL SERVICE | |
Honors the outstanding use of print journalism to serve
the readers’ needs and aspirations | |
Winner: New York: Adam Moss, Editor-in-Chief for “For and Against Foreskin,” by Chris Bonanos, Michael Idov and Hanna Rosin, October 26 | |
LEISURE INTERESTS | |
Recognizes excellence in service journalism focusing on
recreational activities and special interests | |
Winner: New York: Adam Moss, Editor-in-Chief for “The Great New York Neoclassical Neapolitan Pizza Revolution,” by Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld with Michael Idov, July 20-27 | |
DESIGN, PRINT | |
Honors the effectiveness of design, typography and
artwork in support of the editorial mission of the magazine | |
Winner: Wired: Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief for March, May, August Issues. | |
PHOTOGRAPHY / PRINT | |
Honors the effectiveness of photography, photojournalism
and photo-illustration in support of the editorial mission of the
magazine | |
Winner: Vanity Fair: Graydon Carter, Editor for March, September, November Issues | |
PHOTOJOURNALISM | |
Recognizes the informative photographic documentation of
an event or subject | |
Winner: National Geographic: Chris Johns, Editor-in-Chief for “Shattered Somalia,” photographs by Pascal Maitre; text by Robert Draper, May | |
PHOTO PORTFOLIO | |
Honors creative photography and photo illustration,
including portraiture | |
Winner: The New Yorker: David Remnick, Editor for “Portraits of Power,” photographs by Platon, December 7 | |
MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR | |
Honors publications that successfully use both print and digital media in fulfilling the editorial mission of the magazine |
Winner: Glamour: Cynthia Leive, Editor-in-Chief; Jill Herzig, Executive Editor; Geraldine Hessler, Design Director; Glamour.com: Ben Berentson, Online Managing Director for April, September, November Issues
In short: West Coast magazines did especially well. The East Coast magazines (especially New York and The New Yorker) continued their predictable dominance. National Geographic, too, continued its run as a perennial winner. The Magazine of the Year award, given for the first time this year and with an interesting print/digital duality, went to the only traditionally women's magazine that emerged as a finalist in any category. Anna Wintour of Vogue was inducted into the Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame Award.
In passing: If there's a fiction category, why not a poetry category? Tremendous poems appear in today's magazines.
Of my initial favorites, only Mother Jones ended up with a win. But I'd like to shout-out my team again anyway:
- The Virginia Quarterly Review (Photojournalism, Fiction)
- The Boston Review (Public Interest, first NMA nomination)
- Orion (Essays, first NMA nomination)
- The Antioch Review (Fiction)
- The Paris Review (General Excellence, Print, under 100,000 circulation)
- Mother Jones (General Excellence, Print, 100,000-250,000 circulation)
- Harper's Magazine (Reviews and Criticism)
Thanks, Anna. :)
Posted by: Waldo Jaquith | April 27, 2010 at 09:40 AM
Thanks back for your good work, Waldo!
Posted by: Anna Clark | April 27, 2010 at 10:50 AM