The 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards gala, 26 May 2017, Arcadian Court, Toronto (Photo by Steven Goetz for the NMAF)
The 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards are in the books, and the NMAF would like to thank all of the amazing contributors, sponsors, partners, and everyone else who helped make this year’s awards program a successful and poignant celebration of Canadian magazine creators.
Thank you to Vanessa Wyse, Nicola Hamilton, and their team at Studio Wysefor creating and executing the look and feel of this year’s National Magazine Awards–including the gala program (right), tickets, stage design, and our social media design. We loved working with you!
Thank you to our three wonderful co-hosts–Kim Pittaway, Michael de Pencier, and D.B. Scott–for leading the show and delighting the audience with their wit and honouring the nominees and winners with such grace.
Thank you to our Special Guests at the 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards gala and those who sent special video messages to our nominees and winners:
Sally Armstrong, UNICEF Special Representative to Afghanistan, Amnesty International-recognized human rights journalist, and former Outstanding Achievement Award winner;
James Ireland, legend of Canadian magazine design and former Outstanding Achievement Award winner;
Ken Rodmell, legend of Canadian magazine design and former Outstanding Achievement Award winner;
Lynn Cunningham, Ryerson University Journalism School instructor and former Outstanding Achievement Award winner;
Stephen Trumper, Ryerson University Journalism School instructor and former Outstanding Achievement Award winner (and his daughter Hannah);
Al Zikovitz, CEO of Cottage Life Media and former Outstanding Achievement Award winner;
Paul Jones, long-time Maclean-Hunter and Rogers publisher, and former Outstanding Achievement Award winner;
Desmond Cole, 3-time National Magazine Award winner and Newstalk 1010 host;
Jennifer Varkonyi, publisher of Maisonneuve;
Peter McNeill, national director of KPMG Enterprise;
Hon Lu, National Magazine Award-winning writer;
Min Gyo Chung, National Magazine Award-winning illustrator;
Gilbert Li, award-winning art director and NMA judge;
Arjun Basu, senior vice president of Bookmark Content, NMA judge, and former NMAF president;
Marcel Courville, senior vice president of marketing at TC Transcontinental Printing;
Anna Principe, business development manager at Rolland Enterprises;
Jack Illingworth, literature officer at the Ontario Arts Council;
Laurie Smith, customer marketing manager at CNW, a Cision Company.
Thank you to our Judges–the 112 individuals who volunteered their time as peer experts in Canadian magazines, serving on our juries for the 40th anniversary awards.
Thank you to all our contributors to the 40th anniversary gala:
Program Editor: Richard A. Johnson Program & Gala Art Direction & Design: Studio Wyse Printing: Transcontinental Printing Paper: Rolland Enterprises Translation: Sophie Lecomte, Émilie Pontbriand Copy Editing: Leah Edwards, Krista Robinson Volunteer Coordination: Leah Jensen Audiovisual Production: CCR Solutions Nominees Montage: Very Good Studios Production Interns: Eny Kuen, Leah Edwards Outstanding Achievement Award Photography: Daniel Ehrenworth Event Photography: Steven Goetz News Release Distribution: CNW, a Cision Company Chartered Accountants: Beckett Lowden Read, LLP Caterer: Oliver & Bonacini Venue: The Arcadian Court, Toronto
Special Thanks:
To our 40th anniversary Program Advisory Committee: Curtis Gillespie, Danielle Groen, and Kim Pittaway
To the Town of Huntsville, where Roy MacGregor’s original 1978 NMAF President’s Medal is now on display at the Canada Summit Centre Sports Memorabilia Collection.
Penny Caldwell, publisher of Cottage Life, accepts the 2017 Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement at the 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards gala in Toronto, 26 May 2017 (Photo by Steven Goetz / NMAF)
We asked Penny to compose a message to the industry, which was presented in the 40th anniversary NMA gala program and comprised the basis of her acceptance speech at the gala. Here are Penny Caldwell’s complete remarks.
The Space Between
Our urgent need for innovative ideas and talented creators
by Penny Caldwell
I am honoured to receive this award and extend my sincere thanks to the National Magazine Awards Foundation, to my colleagues who nominated me, and to the many people who have contacted me since the news was announced.
Recently, a student at Cottage Life asked me what I have learned over the nearly forty years that I have worked in publishing. The best advice, I told her, was to manage your expectations but keep dreaming, work hard, be patient, and be adaptable.
That advice came to me from Doug Creighton, the founding publisher of the Toronto Sun when, fresh out of university, I was looking for a job. A family friend had arranged the interview, and Doug said he could probably get me a job on the copy desk working the night shift. What a thrill to imagine being part of a big daily newspaper, even as a proofreader on the night shift. Then he advised me not to take the job. Go out, he said, and find a place at a small newspaper where you will learn to do everything. So I went home and applied to every community newspaper across Canada, and I got a job as a sports reporter and columnist at the Whitby News Advertiser in Ajax.
The newspaper’s editor and senior reporters taught me a lot about crafting compelling stories. When one of the girls on the basketball team was fatally attacked by another student, I even covered a murder. But I recall the day I heard some surprising news: that the purpose of the stories we poured our hearts into was to fill the space between the ads.
If only it were that simple.
Fast forward. Most of us here tonight are still inescapably seduced by the power of storytelling. And while we can’t lose sight of the reality that, yes, in our legacy business the stories have traditionally been what fill up the spaces between the ads, we comfort ourselves that good content comes out on top. Content is king. Our readers pay for the content. Our advertisers pay to be close to the content. How close? Well, that’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?
Ads are no longer simply adjacent to content,. Now they pop up in the middle of the stories—online and on our TV screens. Not that this is new. Who here remembers the issue of Saturday Night magazine in the late ‘90s, in which an excerpt of Mordecai’s Richler’s “Barney’s Version” was typeset to wrap around a vodka bottle? “Absolut Mordecai.”
While the business model for paid advertising evolves, so does our distribution method. Our world now includes an audience that doesn’t expect to have to shell out for content. And so, in an effort to attract the big numbers—not to mention big data—we give away our valuable content for free on our websites, on other digital channels, and in e-newsletters. Our advertising partners, who in the past clamoured to be close to the content, now want to be the content. Our industry has survived the inventions of radio and television, but I don’t know of a time in which magazines have been under more pressure to reinvent themselves—because with new technology we can, and because with new technology we have to. We now compete in more places and in more ways than ever for our customers’ time and money.
My twenty-year-old, idealistic, sports-reporter self says, what has the world come to? My present, practical business self says disruption happens, get on with it. The magazine industry must adapt—all of us here—in order to keep growing. We are going to have to find new sources of revenue, new innovative ways to engage our audiences that they will pay for. And that means learning everything possible about our customers. We’re going to have to find out what’s important to them, and tap into that passion.
My optimistic self says, we can do this. Yes, because we don’t have a choice if we want to survive. But also because as magazine creators we are very, very good at captivating audiences with compelling stories. Magazines are still a highly authentic, trusted platform whose halo has already enabled our industry to expand far beyond print into mega media brands comprising digital, social, video, audio, events, stores, merchandise, and even restaurants. If we continue to tell compelling, relevant stories, in whatever form, the audience will be there and they will pay. We still need good, high-quality content and the talented creators behind it. We still need to recognize its value in our business.
Tonight, we celebrate excellence. Tonight, we celebrate the creators. And tonight, I offer congratulations to those of you—editors, art directors, writers, photographers, illustrators, and publishers—who know how to tell the powerful Canadian stories that have such a profound influence on our society.
Finally, I would like to end with a thank you to Cottage Life, and particularly to Al Zikovitz, my mentor, friend, and long-time boss, who every day teaches me something new about hard work, being adaptable, and chasing your dreams.
Thank you.
Penny Caldwell (@PennyCaldwell) is the publisher and vice-president of Cottage Life Media. At this year’s 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards she was presented with the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement. Read her complete National Magazine Awards bio here.
ABOUT THE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
The NMAF’s most prestigious individual prize is the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement, an award that recognizes an individual’s innovation and creativity through contributions to the magazine industry.
The award is open to circulation experts, editors, marketing, sales and promotion professionals, publishers, creators, designers, production managers – in short, to everyone in the industry. It cannot be given posthumously. The annual deadline for nominations is March 1.
Host Kim Pittaway (right) greets Alicia Elliott on the stage of the 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards in Toronto, 26 May 2017 (photo by Steven Goetz / NMAF)
The NMAF is very grateful to Ms. Elliott for accepting this invitation and addressing the 300 guests gathered at the NMA gala on Friday. Here are Alicia Elliott’s complete remarks, published with her permission:
She:kon.
Don’t worry, everybody. I promise I’m not here to take away your free speech. I’ve got maybe a handful and a half of publications, so I’m pretty sure I don’t have that kind of power. But you’re all writers, editors and publishers with some of the most prestigious publications in Canada. You have considerable power: to say what you want and know people will listen, to amplify any voice or perspective you want, to edit out or repress any voice or perspective you want. I hope after the past few weeks, you’ve all been reflecting on that responsibility.
This is not a responsibility to be taken lightly. Once a citizen reaches adulthood, Canada officially washes its hands of educating them. Your magazines are what fill that void. Each and every page of your publications are like classrooms: sometimes teaching readers new ideas, sometimes reinforcing old ones. Take a moment and think about that. What are you teaching Canadians? What are you refusing to teach Canadians? And who are you letting do that teaching?
The fact is many marginalized communities do not feel you’re doing a good enough job telling their stories. I know there have been efforts at diversifying the workplace to counteract this. People from many more identities and cultures are part of newsrooms and magazines than twenty years ago. There’s some progress. But are they in leadership positions? Are they listened to by their leaders? Are they supported by those leaders when fighting for their right to speak, to exist?
I’m sure many of you would like to think the establishments you work at are safe havens for marginalized writers. Otherwise, why would they work there, right? But I’d like to share with you a quote from journalist, activist, novelist and all-around bad ass James Baldwin. In his introduction to his essay collection Nobody Knows My Name, he wrote, “Havens are high-priced. The price exacted of the haven-dweller is that he contrive to delude himself into believing that he has found a haven.”
As many have pointed out, and as the continued ignorance displayed in national political cartoons and columns have shown, the media and literary communities in Canada are not havens. We are collectively deluding ourselves to believe otherwise. It only took the smallest pushback from indigenous people for those who have always had access to free speech to derail conversation, shake off all accountability and put us back in our place. When you exalt their voices by publishing their articles and columns, what are you teaching Canada? What are you saying to marginalized communities about their issues and your coverage of them? What are you saying about yourself?
Because it’s not just the marginalized who are searching for havens. Those in power are searching, too. Sometimes they want a haven from criticism and accountability, from hard questions and harder answers. And for some, when that haven is snatched away and the full extent of their responsibilities is made crushingly apparent, it’s too much. They don’t reflect and make real change. They search out the closest haven and run.
I’m here tonight to ask you NOT to run. I’m asking you to do hard work, to examine your own complicity in perpetuating these problems, to be vulnerable with us, to have difficult conversations with us, to offer us a hand up instead of another push down. I’m here tonight to ask you to admit you don’t know it all, to ask questions, to learn and to do better.
We’re currently creating the world our children and grandchildren will grow up in, which means all of our actions and our inaction carry immense weight. Are you going to make future generations proud? Or are you going to make their work harder? Ultimately, that decision is your responsibility. There is no haven from that.
Nya:weh’kowa.
Alicia Elliott is a Tuscarora writer from Six Nations currently living in Brantford, Ontario. Her writing has most recently been published by CBC Arts, Room, Grain, The New Quarterly and The Malahat Review. She’s on Twitter @WordsandGuitar.
The National Magazine Awards Foundation (NMAF) has presented the winners of the 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards at a gala this evening in Toronto at the Arcadian Court. Nearly 300 of Canada’s top magazine writers, artists, editors, art directors, publishers, and other guests representing 75 nominated magazines gathered to recognize and celebrate excellence in the content and creation of Canadian magazines in 2016. Gold and Silver medals were presented in 25 categories recognizing Canada’s best in magazine writing, art, and design.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a welcome message to the audience via video, congratulating the nominees and winners and praising the important work of Canada’s magazine creators.
The Foundation presented Gold and Silver Medal awards in 25 categories at a ceremony co-hosted by Kim Pittaway, Michael de Pencier, and D.B. Scott—three of Canada’s most respected journalists and publishers, and all former winners of the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement. Indigenous writer and Gold Medalist in the Essays category, Alicia Elliott, delivered the keynote address, urging all Canadian magazine creators and publishers to recognize their role in educating and informing the public about the complex social and cultural issues of our time, including empowering Indigenous voices and perspectives in the media.
Penny Caldwell, publisher and vice-president of Cottage Life Media, was presented with the 2017 Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement, the highest individual honour in the Canadian magazine industry, which recognizes an individual’s innovation and creativity through contributions to the magazine industry.
Canada’s 2017 Magazine of the Year is Cottage Life. The award for magazine of the year goes to the publication that most consistently engages, surprises, and serves the needs of its readers. The award is judged according to four criteria—overall quality, impact, innovation, and brand awareness—and success relative to the magazine’s editorial mandate.
With a clear and creative editorial strategy that is loyal to their brand, audience, and business, Cottage Life continues to diversify its mandate, grow its readership, and excel at publishing. The magazine’s tone is perfectly playful, its stories educate and delight, and its story packaging is alluring. Cottage Life has demonstrated creativity and excellence in evolving its brand through events, shows, and multimedia—reinventing itself again and again. And throughout its evolution, the magazine itself remains fresh and fascinating.
—The National Magazine Awards Jury
INTEGRATED AWARDS
Best Magazine Cover
GOLD MEDAL: “General Dynamics” (Report on Business) Domenic Macri, art director Gary Salewicz, editor Brennan Higginbotham, contributor
This is a beautiful execution of a well-thought-out idea, from its concept right down to the smallest detail. Report on Business’s “General Dynamics” cover is a masterful example of having graphics work harmoniously with type to create the impression of a must-read story within. It’s engaging and unexpected—the forbidden, blacked-out words suck you in immediately. A truly remarkable and successful magazine cover.
—The National Magazine Awards Jury
GOLD MEDAL: « Nordicité » (Caribou) Tania Jiménez, directrice artistique Audrey Lavoie, Véronique Leduc, Geneviève Vezina-Montplaisir, rédactrices en chef
This Editorial Package from Caribou is a delicious invitation to the table set around the concept of Nordicité, where a meal of uniquely Québécois flavour is served. On the menu are cozy stories and tasteful photography of matsutake mushrooms, maple syrup, boreal spices, and wild berries. The package has the benefit of relying almost wholly on the support of readers and presents them with a carefully thought out series of articles that complement the topic and each other—all editorially handpicked and beautifully plated for our enjoyment.
—The National Magazine Awards Jury
GOLD MEDAL: “Breast of Luck” (Today’s Parent) Ariel Brewster, editor Stephanie Han Kim, art director
Contributors: Vivian Rosas, Katie Dupuis, Karen Robock, Louise Gleeson, Kara Aaserud, Sasha Emmons, Kate Lunau
“Breast of Luck” from Today’s Parent epitomizes service journalism. The team approached the issue from various perspectives, offering up multiple entry points. It feels exceptionally relevant—these are the real questions people ask about breastfeeding. It’s beautifully designed, very well written, funny, informative—the practical information is hands-on and useful. Whether you read it closely or simply skim, it has something for every reader.
—The National Magazine Awards Jury
GOLD MEDAL: “Rosemont Petite-Syrie” (Nouveau Projet) Judith Oliver, rédactrice en chef adjointe Jean-François Proulx, directeur artistique Félix Beaudry-Vigneux, auteur Maxime Roy de Roy, illustrateur
Beautifully drawn, informative, and concisely written, “Rosemont Petite-Syrie” is a powerful and graphic way to show the response of two families to the Syrian refugee crisis. The piece seamlessly weaves text and illustrations that speak to one another and the reader without seeming redundant. It’s an exemplar of the comic-book genre—and bilingual, to boot.
—The National Magazine Awards Jury
Forty years ago the NMAF set about building a coalition of institutions to form the foundation of what would become the National Magazine Awards. The goal was to create a truly national program that would recognize individual excellence in the many aspects of the magazine industry. Forty years later that legacy has endured. Tonight we have recognized the outstanding work of Canada’s magazine creators. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners—you have truly inspired the future of great journalism in this country. —Nino Di Cara, President, NMAF
GOLD MEDAL “Issue 22: Secrets” SAD Mag Pamela Rounis, art director Sara Harowitz, editor Katie Stewart, Michelle Reid Cyca, contributors
SILVER MEDAL “87: Le Vivant / The Living” esse Arts + Opinions Studio FEED, direction artistique Sylvette Babin, rédactrice en chef
Art Direction of a Single Article
GOLD MEDAL « Le politique est personnel » Nouveau Projet Ping Pong Ping, direction artistique Miriam Fahmy, rédactrice en chef
SILVER MEDAL “Give Peas a Chance” Today’s Parent Mandy Milks, art director Lauren Ferranti-Ballem, editor Anthony Swaneveld, illustrator Roberto Caruso, photographer
SILVER MEDAL “Move or Improve?” MoneySense Steven P. Hughes, illustrator John Montgomery, art director
Photojournalism & Photo Essay
GOLD MEDAL “South of Buck Creek” Geist Terence Byrnes, photographer Syd Danger, art director AnnMarie MacKinnon, Michal Kozlowski, editors
SILVER MEDAL “Canada’s Oldest Profession” The Walrus Tyler Anderson, photographer Brian Morgan, art director Jonathan Kay, editor Conrad Black, text
Portrait Photography
GOLD MEDAL “Marina Abramovic” Corduroy Magazine Peter Ash Lee, photographer & art director Tim Chan, editor
SILVER MEDAL “Love Your Body” NOW Magazine Tanja-Tiziana, photographer Troy Beyer, art director Susan G. Cole, editor Taylor Savage, hair & makeup
Lifestyle Photography
GOLD MEDAL “Different Strokes” Globe Style Advisor Riley Stewart, photographer Benjamin MacDonald, art director Andrew Sardone, editor Odessa Paloma Parker, fashion editor, stylist Vanessa Jarman, makeup / hair stylist Wendy Rorong, manicurist James Reiger, model, NEXT Models Canada
SILVER MEDAL “Tan Lines” Globe Style Advisor Renata Kaveh, photographer Benjamin MacDonald, art director Andrew Sardone, editor Odessa Paloma Parker, fashion editor, stylist Robert Weir, grooming Connor, model, Elmer Olsen Model Management
INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS
Writer Nancy Macdonald won two awards: A Gold Medal in Profiles for “This is How I’m Going to Die” (Maclean’s), about the Leviathan II disaster, and a Silver Medal in Investigative Reporting for “Justice Is Not Blind” (Maclean’s), about the bias against Indigenous Canadians in the judicial system.
Mary Rogan won the first NMA Gold Medal for Long-Form Feature Writing, for her story “Growing Up Trans” (The Walrus). It’s Rogan’s third National Magazine Award and first since 1999.
Art director Domenic Macri of Report on Business won the Gold Medal for Best Magazine Cover (“General Dynamics”), his and the magazine’s fifth gold medal in this category since 2006.
Pierre Fortin (L’actualité) won the Gold Medal in Columns, for his Québec « Économie » coverage. This is Fortin’s fourth gold medal in Columns since 2003.
Indigenous poet Selina Boan won the Gold Medal in Poetry for a suite of poems in The New Quarterly, including “Meet Cree: A Practical Guide to the Cree Language.” This is her first National Magazine Award.
Richard Kelly Kemick won the Gold Medal in Fiction for “The Unitarian Church’s Annual Young Writer’s Short Story Competition” (The New Quarterly), his second NMA after winning gold last year in One of a Kind. Kemick also received an Honourable Mention in Fiction and in One of a Kind this year.
Don Gillmor won his twelfth National Magazine Award since 1997, a Silver Medal in Essays for “A Poet Self-Destructs” (The Walrus).
Joe Castaldo won the Gold Medal in Investigative Reporting for “The Last Days of Target” (Canadian Business). He won the Silver Medal in the same category in 2015.
In Personal Journalism, Edmonton writer and visual artist Benjamin Hertwig won the Gold Medal for “The Burn” (Prairie Fire). The story of the late John Hofsess, “By The Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead” (Toronto Life), about assisted dying and preparing to take his own life, won the Silver Medal.
Photographer and art director Peter Ash Lee won the Gold Medal in Portrait Photography (“Marina Abramovic” Corduroy), his fourth National Magazine Award.
Andrew Braithwaite won the Gold Medal in Service Journalism for “Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2016” (Air Canada enRoute), marking the second consecutive year he and the magazine have won gold for their annual feature on Canada’s newest culinary hotspots.
Ray Ford won his eighth National Magazine Award since 2000 with a Silver Medal in Short Feature Writing for “The Cutting Edge” (ON Nature).
MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHTS
L’actualité led all magazines with 3 Gold Medals, winning the top prize in Feature Writing, Columns, and Illustration.
The Walrus led all magazines with 6 awards (2 Gold Medals and 4 Silver Medals). This is the tenth time in the magazine’s history that The Walrus has won the most total awards at the NMAs.
Report on Business won 3 awards, including a Gold Medal for Best Magazine Cover (“General Dynamics”) and Silver Medals in Best Service Editorial Package and in Profiles.
The New Quarterly won the Gold Medal in Fiction and in Poetry, marking the second time that the Waterloo, Ontario literary magazine has swept both awards (also doing so in 2003 at the 25th anniversary National Magazine Award).
NOW Magazine’s “Love Your Body” issue was a double winner, taking the Silver Medal in Portrait Photography and the Silver Medal in Best Words & Pictures.
Globe Style Advisor swept the Gold and Silver Medals in the category Lifestyle Photography.
Nouveau Projet won 2 Gold Medals, in Art Direction of a Single Magazine Article (« Le politique est personnel ») and in Words & Pictures (“Rosemont Petite-Syrie”). Nouveau Projet won Magazine of the Year in 2015 and was a finalist this year.
The online magazine Hazlitt won 2 Silver Medals, in Fiction and in One of a Kind.
Today’s Parent won 2 medals: Gold in Best Service Editorial Package (“Breast of Luck”) and Silver in Art Direction of a Single Magazine Article (“Give Peas a Chance”).
7 magazines won a National Magazine Award for the first time: Atlantic Business Magazine; Caribou; esse Arts + Opinions; Hakai Magazine; Jeu, Revue de théâtre; Listed; and SAD Mag.
Magazines winning 1 Gold Medal: Air Canada enRoute; Caribou; Corduroy; Cottage Life; Geist; Hakai Magazine; Jeu, Revue de théâtre; The Malahat Review; Prairie Fire; Precedent
Magazines winning 1 Silver Medal: Atlantic Business Magazine; Châtelaine; esse Arts + Opinions; Listed; MoneySense; New Trail; ON Nature; PRISM International; Toronto Life.
The 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards gala, 26 May 2017, Arcadian Court, Toronto (Photo by Steven Goetz for the NMAF)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a welcome message to the audience via video, congratulating the nominees and winners and praising the important work of Canada’s magazine creators.
Toronto Mayor John Tory also addressed the gathering via video to offer his congratulations to the nominees and winners and offer his support for Canadian magazine creators.
Alicia Elliott delivered the keynote address. Alicia is a Tuscarora writer from Six Nations, currently living in Brantford, Ontario. Her writing has most recently been published by CBC Arts, Room, Grain, The New Quarterly and The Malahat Review. Later in the evening she won the Gold Medal in Essays for “A Mind Spread Out on the Ground” (The Malahat Review).
For the 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards, the NAMF welcomed a number of its former winners of the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement, led by Kim Pittaway, Michael de Pencier, and D.B. Scott, who co-hosted the event.
Also attending and presenting awards as former winners of the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement: James Ireland, Sally Armstrong, Ken Rodmell, Lynn Cunningham, Stephen Trumper, Al Zikovitz, and Paul Jones.
Other special guest presenters included award-winning illustrator Min Gyo Chung, award-winning writers Hon Lu and Desmond Cole, award-winning art director Gilbert Li, and former NMAF president Arjun Basu.
ABOUT THE 40th ANNIVERSARY NATIONAL MAGAZINE AWARDS
Nearly 300 members of the Canadian magazine industry—publishers, editors, art directors, writers, photographers, illustrators, circulators and more—joined esteemed sponsors and other guests at the Arcadian Court for the 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards gala.
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 to the National Magazine Awards, submitting the work of more than 2000 writers, editors, photographers, illustrators, art directors and other creators. The NMAF’s 112 volunteer judges nominated a total of 202 submissions from 75 different Canadian magazines for awards in 25 written, visual, integrated and special categories.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The NMAF gratefully acknowledges the support of the Government of Canada, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Ontario Media Development Corporation.
The NMAF gratefully acknowledges the support of its sponsors and table patrons:
Access Copyright,
Alberta Magazine Publishers Association,
Bookmark,
Canadian Media Guild,
Content Writers Group,
CDS Global,
CNW, a Cision Company,
ExpertWomen.ca,
Goetz Storytelling,
Impresa Communications,
Oliver & Bonacini,
Ricardo Media,
Rolland Enterprises,
Ryerson University School of Journalism,
Studio Wyse,
TC Transcontinental Printing,
University of King’s College School of Journalism,
Very Good Studios, and
Vividata.
The NMAF gratefully acknowledges its 112 Judges who volunteered their time and their expertise to serve on the juries for the 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards.
ABOUT THE NMAF
A charitable foundation, the NMAF’s mandate is to recognize and promote excellence in content creation of Canadian print and digital publications through an annual program of awards and national publicity efforts.
The Foundation produces two distinct and bilingual award programs: the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. Throughout the year, the Foundation undertakes various group marketing initiatives and professional development events.
Tonight we honour and celebrate Canada’s top writers, artists, and other creators at the 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards.
Where: The Arcadian Court, 401 Bay Street, Simpson Tower, 8th Floor, Toronto [MAP] When:
6:00pm Reception
7:30pm Awards presentation
8:30pm Dinner
9:45pm Dessert reception Why: To recognize and celebrate excellence in the content and creation of Canadian magazines. And to acknowledge the outstanding work of Canada’s top creators and the significance of great journalism.
Have a ticket?
If you purchased a ticket and did not request it to be mailed, you can pick up your ticket at the Will-Call tables at the top of the elevators at the Arcadian Court. Judges may also pick up their tickets here.
Need a ticket?
Tickets are available for purchase at the door: $150 (+HST) for regular tickets (includes dinner); $75 (+HST) for show-only tickets. Cash or Credit Card accepted.
What about the rest of the nominees?
Check out all the nominees for the 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards, or read the PDF for a quick reference.
Not able to come?
Follow our twitter handle @MagAwards and #NMA40for a cascade of exciting live tweets throughout the show. Keep it right here on this blog for a full recap of the awards and all the winners (sometime after 10pm ET).
10 Tips for a Successful #NMA40 Gala
Doors open at 6pm.
No need to buy drink tickets this year. Cash bar will accept cash or card. (However, drink tickets are available at the bar if you’d like to purchase and treat your team or guests.)
Hors d’oeuvres will be served during the reception (6pm-7:15pm). There will be a 30-minute break in the awards ceremony for dinner (approximately 8:30pm).
Washrooms are through the foyer and to your left as you exit.
Gold winners: Come to the stage to accept your award (prep your speech now!).
Silver winners: Your awards will be brought to your table later in the show.
All other nominees: Please contact us next week to request your Honourable Mention certificates.
The upstairs Gallery is closed during the show, but join us there afterwards for dessert and drinks.
Celebrate each other. Get to know a magazine you’ve never seen before. Meet new writers, editors, art directors and other new colleagues. Enjoy the moment. (And get home safely.)
Forty years ago a gentleman by the name of Andrew MacFarlane, who was Dean of Journalism at the University of Western Ontario, set about building a coalition of institutions to form the foundation of what would become the National Magazine Awards. The goal was to create a truly national program that would recognize individual excellence in the many aspects of the magazine industry.
Forty years later that legacy has endured. As one creator told me, winning a National Magazine Award is regarded as the pinnacle of professional achievement in our industry.
Friday evening we will welcome many of Canada’s top creators to the 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards to recognize the phenomenal achievements of this year’s nominees and winners. As we pay tribute to the outstanding effort, professionalism, and raw talent of the individual creators, it is also a celebration of the broader magazine community and a nod to the people who trained the winners, mentored them, inspired them, gave them opportunities and, in many cases, took a chance on them. Our ability to nurture great Canadian creators reflects on us all.
It would have been hard for the NMAs’ founders to imagine the changes faced by the magazine industry in recent years and the impact that technology and data would play. Consumer audiences are being asked to be more savvy about the source and integrity of the media they consume, and there has never been so much competition for their time. But the principles of quality journalism and compelling art endure. All the while, magazines and the craftspeople who create them have been at the forefront of our society and culture. The diversity and breadth of this year’s nominees are a tribute to the role they play as the tastemakers, opinion-formers, trendsetters, style-shapers, curators, investigators, and artists who help to shape our national narrative and our identities as Canadians.
On the topic of change, this year’s program represents a significant renewal for the NMAs. In response to our industry consultation, we revised the categories to be much more focused on the craft that goes into creating work for a magazine and less focused on the subject matter. This enabled us to reduce the number of awards by 30 percent (making winning one an even tougher feat!). Although, with 25 awards, we still have almost double the 14 that were presented in 1977! Among other changes we have introduced, it’s exciting to think that the winners tonight were judged in part by judges from Yellowknife to St. John’s, San Francisco to New York, London to Paris—proudly elevating Canadian work on the global stage.
An enormous thank you to our sponsors and the hundreds of people who have helped bring this year’s awards to life, from the entrants to the volunteer judges and the board of directors. I’d like to add special thanks to the NMAF executive team who bring such rigour and passion to making the awards happen—Barbara Gould, Richard Johnson, Émilie Pontbriand, Leah Jensen, and Krista Robinson.
Enjoy the show! If you can’t join us, follow all the action on Twitter @MagAwards.
The NMAF is excited to announce that this year’s 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards gala, on May 26, will be co-hosted by three previous winners of the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement—Kim Pittaway, Michael de Pencier, and D.B. Scott—with special guest appearances by other winners including James Ireland, Sally Armstrong, Ken Rodmell, Lynn Cunningham, Stephen Trumper, Al Zikovitz, and Paul Jones.
The NMAF is also delighted to announce that Indigenous writer and 2017 nominee in Essays, Alicia Elliott, will deliver a keynote address to the gathering of more than 250 nominated writers, artists, editors, art directors, publishers, and more.
As we celebrate 40 years of achievement in Canadian magazines and honour the outstanding work of the past year, we also acknowledge the strength, excellence, and diversity of Canada’s storytellers, whose creativity and passion are the bedrock of Canadian magazine journalism, today and tomorrow.
Kim Pittaway is the executive director, MFA in Creative Nonfiction, at University of King’s College. A freelancer writer and former editor of Chatelaine, she is an eight-time National Magazine Award nominee and was the 2016 recipient of the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Michael de Pencier was the founding president of the National Magazine Awards Foundation in 1977, and was publisher of Toronto Life from 1971 until 2002. He founded Key Publishers, which published Canadian Geographic, Quill and Quire, Where Magazine, Fashion Magazine, Gardening Life, Canadian Business, and many other titles. In 1991 he was the recipient of the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement.
D.B. Scott is the president of Impresa Communications Ltd, publisher of the Canadian Magazines blog. He is a magazine and media consultant, writer, teacher, market researcher, publisher, and editor. He served on the NMAF Board of Directors for eight years and was president in 1990. In 2011 he was the recipient of the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement.
The 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards gala is Friday, May 26, 2017, at the Arcadian Court in Toronto. View all nominees.
ABOUT THE 40th ANNIVERSARY NMA GALA The NMAF will welcome Canada’s top writers, artists, editors, art directors, publishers and other creators to the 40th anniversary National Magazine Awards gala. Gold, Silver and Honourable Mention awards will be announced at the Arcadian Court in Toronto on May 26. Tickets are on sale at magazine-awards.com.
A limited number of tickets for nominated freelancers are available at the discount rate of $35, thanks to the support of our Table Patrons, including Access Copyright, Alberta Magazine Publishers Association, Bookmark, Canadian Media Guild, Canadian Writers Group, CDS Global, ExpertWomen.ca, Ryerson University School of Journalism, and University of King’s College School of Journalism.
Gold winners in writing and visual awards categories receive a cash prize of $1000. Silver winners receive an awards certificate. All other finalists receive Honourable Mention. View all nominees.
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT Since its debut in 1990, the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement has been the highest individual honour bestowed upon members of Canada’s magazine community. The award recognizes an individual’s innovation and creativity through contributions to the magazine industry. The NMAF accepts submissions for the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement throughout the year, with an annual deadline of March 1. The award is open to circulation experts, editors, marketing, sales and promotion professionals, publishers, creators, designers, production managers; in short, to everyone in the industry. It cannot be given posthumously.
Previous winners include:
2016 Kim Pittaway
2015 Michael Fox
2014 Kim Jernigan
2013 Stephen Trumper
2012 Heather Robertson
2011 D.B. Scott
2010 Terry Sellwood
2009 Cynthia Brouse
2008 Charles Oberdorf
2007 Neville Gilfoy
2006 John Macfarlane
2005 Paul Jones
2004 Stephen Osborne
2003 Sally Armstrong
2002 Al Zikovitz
2001 Ken Rodmell
2000 Peter C. Newman
1999 Lynn Cunningham
1998 Robert Fulford
1997 James Ireland
1996 Catherine Keachie
1995 Jean Paré
1994 Don Obe
1993 Barbara Moon
1992 Lloyd Hodgkinson
1991 Michael de Pencier
1990 Prue Hemelrijk
This year’s recipient will be Penny Caldwell, publisher and vice-president of Cottage Life Media.
ABOUT THE NMAF A charitable foundation, the NMAF’s mandate is to recognize and promote excellence in content creation of Canadian print and digital publications through an annual program of awards and national publicity efforts.
The Foundation produces two distinct and bilingual award programs: the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. Throughout the year, the Foundation undertakes various group marketing initiatives and professional development events.
Thank you to Vanessa Wyse, Nicola Hamilton, and their team at Studio Wyse for creating and executing the look and feel of this year’s National Magazine Awards–including the gala program (right), tickets, stage design, and our social media design. We loved working with you!
Thank you to the 40 National Magazine Award winners who participated in our #40at40 anniversary story, where we asked 40 people to tell us about a magazine, a creator, or a magazine story that has had a big impact on their careers. [ See Twitter version | Download PDF version ]
Thank you to all our Sponsors and Partners for their enthusiastic support of the National Magazine Awards and Canadian magazine creators.
Canada’s 2017 Magazine of the Year is Cottage Life. The award for magazine of the year goes to the publication that most consistently engages, surprises, and serves the needs of its readers. The award is judged according to four criteria—overall quality, impact, innovation, and brand awareness—and success relative to the magazine’s editorial mandate.
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Forty years ago the NMAF set about building a coalition of institutions to form the foundation of what would become the National Magazine Awards. The goal was to create a truly national program that would recognize individual excellence in the many aspects of the magazine industry. Forty years later that legacy has endured. Tonight we have recognized the outstanding work of Canada’s magazine creators. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners—you have truly inspired the future of great journalism in this country.
BEST NEW MAGAZINE WRITER
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A charitable foundation, the NMAF’s mandate is to recognize and promote excellence in content creation of Canadian print and digital publications through an annual program of awards and national publicity efforts.
The NMAF is also delighted to announce that Indigenous writer and 2017 nominee in Essays, 
Kim Pittaway is the executive director, MFA in Creative Nonfiction, at University of King’s College. A freelancer writer and former editor of Chatelaine, she is an eight-time National Magazine Award nominee and was the 2016 recipient of the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Michael de Pencier was the founding president of the National Magazine Awards Foundation in 1977, and was publisher of Toronto Life from 1971 until 2002. He founded Key Publishers, which published Canadian Geographic, Quill and Quire, Where Magazine, Fashion Magazine, Gardening Life, Canadian Business, and many other titles. In 1991 he was the recipient of the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement.
D.B. Scott is the president of Impresa Communications Ltd, publisher of the Canadian Magazines blog. He is a magazine and media consultant, writer, teacher, market researcher, publisher, and editor. He served on the NMAF Board of Directors for eight years and was president in 1990. In 2011 he was the recipient of the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement.
This year’s recipient will be 
