NATIONAL MAGAZINE AWARDS 2015 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Better Homes and Gardens, Cosmo, Hollywood Reporter, New York and Vogue short-listed for Magazine of the Year; Grantland, Politico and Refinery29 are first-time nominees

NEW YORK, NY (January 15, 2015)—The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) today announced the National Magazine Awards 2015 finalists. For the second year, the nominations were first announced in an hour-long Twittercast. Known as the Ellies—for the Alexander Calder stabile "Elephant" given to each award winner—the National Magazine Awards will be presented on Monday, February 2, at the New York Marriott Marquis. The awards dinner will also include the presentation of a lifetime achievement award to the TIME photojournalist James Nachtwey.

Sixty-six publications were nominated in 24 categories this year. Five magazines were nominated for the most prestigious honor, Magazine of the Year.  They are Better Homes and Gardens, Cosmopolitan, The Hollywood Reporter, New York and Vogue.  Twenty-nine magazines received multiple nominations, led by New York with 10 (New York also led last year with nine nominations). Bon Appetit and The New Yorker both received six nominations, followed by The Atlantic, GQ and Virginia Quarterly Review, each with four nominations.

Magazines with three nominations include The Atavist, Bloomberg Businessweek, Cosmopolitan, Grantland, Harper’s Bazaar, Sunset and Texas Monthly. Publications with two nominations are Garden & Gun, The Hollywood Reporter, Inc., Matter, National Geographic, Nautilus, The New Republic, The New York Times Magazine, Politico, Popular Mechanics, Runner’s World, Slate, T, The New York Times Style Magazine, TIME, Vogue and Wired.

Also nominated are The American Scholar, The Antioch Review, Audubon, Backpacker, Better Homes and Gardens, California Sunday Magazine, Chicago, Consumer Reports, ESPN The Magazine, Foreign Affairs, The Georgia Review, Glamour, Harper’s Magazine, Harvard Business Review, Kinfolk, Martha Stewart Living, Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Mental Floss, Mother Jones, National Journal, O, The Oprah Magazine, Outdoor Life, Outside, The Oxford American, Pacific Standard, Parents, The Paris Review, Powder, Real Simple, Refinery29, Rolling Stone, San Francisco, The Texas Observer, Vanity Fair, Vice and Women’s Health.

Eight publications are first-time finalists: California Sunday Magazine for Design; Grantland for Video, Feature Writing and Columns & Commentary; Kinfolk for Photography; Matter for Public Interest and Feature Photography; Nautilus for General Excellence and Website; Politico for General Excellence and Website; Powder for Multimedia; and Refinery29 for Website.

Digital-first finalists include The Atavist for Multimedia, Reporting and Feature Writing; Grantland for Video, Feature Writing and Columns & Commentary; Matter for Public Interest and Feature Photography; Nautilus for General Excellence and Website; Politico for General Excellence and Website; Refinery29 for Website; and Slate for Multimedia and Public Interest.

Short-listed articles range from how-to to long-form. Notable finalists in Public Interest include “You’re 16. You’re a Pedophile. You Don’t Want to Hurt Anyone. What Do You Do Now?” by Luke Malone (Matter), and “The Campus Rape Overcorrection,” by Emily Yoffe (Slate); in Personal Service, “The Cosmo Icky-pedia of STIs” (Cosmopolitan) and “Your Grandmother’s Guide to Pot” (New York); in Reporting, “The Truth About Chicago Crime Rates,” by David Bernstein and Noah Isackson,  (Chicago); in Feature Writing, “The Reckoning,” by Andrew Solomon (“The New Yorker”); and in Essays & Criticism, “Shame and Survival,” by Monica Lewinsky (Vanity Fair).

The nomination of “The Case for Reparations,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates , in Essays & Criticism is the third for Coates’ work for The Atlantic in the last three years. His article “Fear of a Black President” won Essays & Criticism for The Atlantic in 2013. Other previous winners nominated this year are Pamela Colloff, who won Feature Writing for Texas Monthly in 2013; Michael Finkel, Photojournalism, National Geographic, 2008; Alex Hutchinson, Personal Service, Popular Mechanics, 2008; Patrick Radden Keefe, Feature Writing, The New Yorker, 2014; Jason Motlagh, News Reporting, Virginia Quarterly Review, 2010; Chris Offutt, Fiction, DoubleTake, 1998; Zadie Smith, Fiction, The New Yorker, 2014; and John Jeremiah Sullivan, Feature Writing, Harper’s Magazine, 2003, and Essays & Criticism, The Paris Review, 2011.

“The National Magazine Awards 2015 finalists demonstrate the enduring power of magazine journalism in print and on websites and mobile,” said Sid Holt, chief executive of ASME. “Whether it’s politics, fashion, sports or the kind of service journalism that only magazines can do, readers know that their favorite print and digital magazines are where to find information and entertainment they can trust.”

Established in 1966, the National Magazine Awards are sponsored by ASME in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Two hundred sixty-three publications entered the National Magazine Awards this year, submitting 1,548 print and digital entries. Three dozen magazines entered the National Magazine Awards for the first time. More than 25 digital-first publications submitted entries. The judges included 340 magazine editors, art directors and photography editors as well as journalism educators.

National Magazine Awards 2015 Finalists

General Excellence

General Interest Magazines
Honors magazines covering politics, business, technology, sports and entertainment

GQ; The New York Times Magazine; The New Yorker, Politico; Wired

Service and Lifestyle Magazines
Honors magazines covering family, the home, food, fashion and relationships

Cosmopolitan; Glamour; Martha Stewart Living; Parents; Sunset 

Style and Design Magazines
Honors magazines covering fashion, decorating, dining, entertaining and travel

Bon Appétit; Garden & Gun; Harper’s Bazaar; T, The New York Times Style Magazine; Vogue 

Active Interest Magazines
Honors magazines covering health and fitness, active sports, outdoor recreation and cars and boats

Men’s Health; Outside; Popular Mechanics; Runner’s World; Women’s Health 

Special Interest Magazines
Honors magazines serving highly defined reader communities

Harvard Business Review; The Hollywood Reporter; Inc.; Mental Floss; Texas Monthly 

Literature, Science and Politics Magazines
Honors smaller-circulation general-interest magazines as well as publications covering the arts

The American Scholar; Foreign Affairs; Mother Jones; Nautilus; Virginia Quarterly Review 

Design
Honors overall excellence in print magazine design

Bon Appétit; The California Sunday Magazine; Harper’s Bazaar; New York; Wired 

Photography
Honors overall excellence in print magazine photography

Bon Appétit; GQ; Harper’s Bazaar; Kinfolk; National Geographic   

Single-Topic Issue
Honors print magazines that have devoted a single issue to the comprehensive examination of one subject

• Audubon for “Special Issue: Birds and Climate Change,” September/October
• Bloomberg Businessweek for “85th Anniversary Issue,” December 8
• Bon Appétit for “The Thanksgiving Issue,” November
• New York for “Health: A Special Issue,” June 9-15
• San Francisco for “The Oakland Issue,” June 

Magazine Section
Honors front- or back-of-the-book departments or sections regularly published in print

• Bloomberg Businessweek for “ETC”
• Inc. for “Made”
• New York for “The Culture Pages”
• New York for “Strategist”
• Popular Mechanics for “How Your World Works” 

Website
Honors magazine websites and online-only magazines

The Atlantic; Nautilus; New York; Politico; Refinery29 

Tablet Magazine
Honors magazines published on tablets and e-readers

Bon Appétit; Garden & Gun; National Geographic; New York; Sunset 

Multimedia
Honors digital storytelling and the integration of magazine media

• The Atavist for “Love for My Enemies,” by Lukas Augustin and Niklas Schenck, June, at atavist.com
• Consumer Reports for “A Beautiful Death,” in December print edition and at consumerreports.org
• Powder for “The Human Factor,” by David Page, December 9, at powder.com
• Slate for “The Year of Outrage,” December 17, at slate.com
• The Texas Observer in Partnership With The Guardian for “Beyond the Border,” by Melissa del Bosque, August 6, at texasobserver.org 

Video
Honors the outstanding use of video by magazine websites and digital-only magazines

• The Atlantic for “The Contract Buyers League,” and “The Guardian of North Lawndale,” May 21
• Grantland for “The Finish Line,” Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3, directed by Jonathan Hock, February 13, February 28, and March 13
• Rolling Stone for “Rick Was Here,” October 16
• TIME for “Rise,” directed by Shaul Schwarz, March 6
• Vice for “The Islamic State,” by Medyan Dairieh, August 15 

Public Interest
Honors magazine journalism that illuminates issues of national importance

• The Atlantic for “Segregation Now . . . ,” by Nikole Hannah-Jones, May
• Matter for “You’re 16. You’re a Pedophile. You Don’t Want to Hurt Anyone. What Do You Do Now?” by Luke Malone, August 10
• National Journal for “Jackie’s Goodbye,” by Tiffany Stanley, October 4
• Pacific Standard for “Women Aren’t Welcome Here,” by Amanda Hess, January/February
• Slate for “The Campus Rape Overcorrection,” by Emily Yoffe, December 7 

Personal Service
Honors magazine journalism that serves readers’ needs and aspirations

• Cosmopolitan for “The Cosmo Icky-pedia of STIs,” by Kelly Mickle, November
• Men’s Journal for “When to Say No to Your Doctor,” by Joseph Hooper, October
• New York for “Your Grandmother’s Guide to Pot,” by Allison P. Davis, Armen Enikolopov, Matthew Giles, Clint Rainey, Alexa Tsoulis-Reay, Mary Jane Weedman and Alex Yablon, December 1-14
• O, The Oprah Magazine for “Ready or Not: The Caregiver's Guide,” November
• Real Simple for “Real Simple’s Easy, Clever, Commonsense, Time-Saving, Game-Changing Guide to Help You Take Control of the Laundry (Finally)!” by Nicole Sforza, August 

Leisure Interests
Honors magazine journalism that provides practical information about recreational activities and special interests

• Backpacker for “The Complete Guide to Fire,” edited by Casey Lyons, October
• Bon Appétit for “Inside the (Very Active) Mind of Bobby Flay,” by Adam Rapoport, March
• Outdoor Life for “Do It All: 51 Essential Skills, Inspired Project, and Clever Hacks to Improve Your Outdoor Life,” April
• Runner’s World for “What Will It Take to Run a 2-Hour Marathon?” by Alex Hutchinson, October 13
• Sunset for “25 All-Time Favorite Test Kitchen Recipes,” January 

Reporting
Honors reporting excellence as exemplified by one article or a series of articles

• The Atavist for “The Trials of White Boy Rick,” by Evan Hughes, September
• Chicago for “The Truth About Chicago’s Crime Rates: Dead Wrong,” May, and “Getting Washed,” June, by David Bernstein and Noah Isackson
• ESPN The Magazine for “No One Walks Off the Island,” by Scott Eden, May 12
• GQ for “Inside the Iron Closet,” by Jeff Sharlet, February
• The New Republic for “How Close They Came,” by Ben Birnbaum and Amir Tibon, August 4
• The New Yorker for “The Hunt for El Chapo,” by Patrick Radden Keefe, May 5
• Virginia Quarterly Review for “The Ghosts of Rana Plaza,” by Jason Motlagh, Spring 

Feature Writing
Honors original, stylish storytelling

• The Atavist for “Love and Ruin,” by James Verini, February
• GQ for “The Strange and Curious Tale of the Last True Hermit,” by Michael Finkel, September
• Grantland for “The Sea of Crises,” by Brian Phillips, November 5
• The New York Times Magazine for “The Ballad of Geeshie and Elvie,” by John Jeremiah Sullivan, April 13
• The New Yorker for “The Reckoning,” by Andrew Solomon, March 17
• T, The New York Times Style Magazine for “Lost Knowledge,” by Jody Rosen, December 7
• Texas Monthly for “The Witness,” by Pamela Colloff, September 

Feature Photography
Honors the use of original photography in a feature story, photo-essay or photo portfolio

• Bloomberg Businessweek for “Border Lines,” photographs by Kirsten Luce, December 1
• Harper’s Magazine for “Dark Heights,” photographs by Benjamin Lowy, May
• Matter for “Whoever Saves a Life,” by Matthieu Aikins, photographs by Sebastiano Tomada, September 14
• New York for “Magic Show,” photographs by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, February 17-24
• TIME for “Crime Without Punishment,” photographs by Jerome Sessini, August 

Essays and Criticism
Honors interpretative and critical journalism

• The Atlantic for “The Case for Reparations,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, June
• The Georgia Review for “The One I Get and Other Artifacts,” by Carol Ann Davis, Winter
• The New Yorker for “This Old Man,” by Roger Angell, February 17 and 24
• Vanity Fair for “Shame and Survival,” by Monica Lewinsky, June
• Virginia Quarterly Review for “Smuggler: A Memoir of Gay Male Literature,” by Philip Kennicott, Fall 

Columns and Commentary
Honors political and social commentary; news analysis; and reviews and criticism

• Grantland for three columns by Wesley Morris: “Let’s Be Real,” August 15; “After Normal,” February 21; and “If U Seek Amy,” October 3
• The New Republic for five posts by Rebecca Traister: “When Michael Dunn Compared Himself to a Rape Victim, He Was Following an Old, Racist Script,” October 23; “I Don’t Care If You Like It,” July 16; “I Sort of Hope We Find Out That Jill Abramson Was Robbing the Cash Register,” May 15; “Jill Abramson's Firing Was About Gender. And Also Not About Gender,” May 22; and “The Slenderman Stabbing Shows Girls Will Be Girls, Too,” June 4
• New York for three columns by Jerry Saltz: “Zombies on the Walls: Why Does So Much New Abstraction Look the Same?,” June 16-29; “Taking in Jeff Koons, Creator and Destroyer of Worlds,” June 30-July 13; and “Post-Macho God: Matisse's Cut-Outs Are World-Historically Gorgeous,” October 8
• The Oxford American for three columns by Chris Offutt: “Chicken Eggs,” Spring; “Bourbon and Cheese,” Summer; and “CIA Cake and Jeff Davis Pie,” Fall
• Texas Monthly for three columns by Stephen Harrigan: “Dreaming in the Dark,” February; “Before the McConaissance,” April; and “A Double Date With Leatherface,” July 

Fiction
Honors fiction originally published in magazines

• The Antioch Review for “Afternoon in Byzantium,” by Rick DeMarinis, Summer
• The New Yorker for “The Emerald Light in the Air,” by Donald Antrim, February 3
• The New Yorker for “Scheherazade,” by Haruki Murakami, October 13
• The Paris Review for “Miss Adele Amidst the Corsets,” by Zadie Smith, Spring
• Virginia Quarterly Review for “Serve-and-Volley, Near Vichy,” by Greg Jackson, Fall 

Magazine of the Year
Honors magazines for print and digital editorial excellence and for magazine-branded content and services, including conferences and events

Better Homes and Gardens; Cosmopolitan; The Hollywood Reporter; New York; Vogue 

All publication dates 2014 unless otherwise indicated

About ASME

The American Society of Magazine Editors is the principal organization for magazine journalists in the United States. The members of ASME include the editorial leaders of most major consumer and business magazines published in print and on digital platforms. Founded in 1963, ASME works to defend the First Amendment, protect editorial independence and support the development of journalism. ASME sponsors the National Magazine Awards in association with the Columbia Journalism School and publishes the ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers.

About Columbia Journalism School

For over a century, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism has been preparing journalists with instruction and training that stresses academic rigor, ethics, journalistic inquiry and professional practice. Founded with a gift from Joseph Pulitzer, the school opened its doors in 1912 and offers master of science, master of arts and doctor of philosophy degrees. Learn more at journalism.columbia.edu.

National Magazine Awards Supported by Publishers Press

Contacts:

Sid Holt
[email protected]
212-872-3723

Meredith Wagner
[email protected]
212-872-3732

Louisa Holmberg
[email protected]
212-872-3724