Our Jury
Chris Arsenault
Chris Arsenault is chair of the Master of Media in Journalism and Communication Program (MMJC) at Western University.
Arjun Basu
Arjun Basu is a writer, editor and consultant. He is the founder and president of arbaStrategies, a brand, content, and strategy consultancy. His most recent novel, The Reeds, was published last year. He is the host of The Full Bleed, a podcast about the future of magazines and the magazines of the future. He is on the board of directors of Access Copyright, and is a past president of the National Magazine Awards Foundation. He lives in Montreal.
Steven Branco
Steven Branco is a Toronto-based serial entrepreneur, award-winning quadruple-threat creative, foodie, jet-setter, digital enthusiast, big data lover, speaker, on-air lifestyle expert and content creator. Born into a first-generation Canadian BIPOC immigrant family in the heart of Toronto. Steven fluently speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese, openly gay, big 2SLGBTQIA+ community supporter and a mental health activist. With a distinct eye for design, Steven is a self-taught designer, art and creative director at heart. Later expanding his passion into communications and storytelling while further developing his skills into photography, combined with a love for editorial and the fashion industry. Widely known as the fearless leader, CEO and Chief Creative Officer, of Stamina Group, where he also serves as Editor-in-Chief of View the VIBE, WanderEater, and Gent’s Post, and Executive Producer of their newest platform, the Gent’s Talk podcast. Steven has a love for digital, raising the bar and recognizing those who do, and was also a founding member of the Social Media Week Toronto chapter board of directors.
Jason Chiu
Jason Chiu is a Visual Editor at The New York Times. He works on the special projects team in the newsroom and Headway. He previously worked at The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and a series of weeklies in Ottawa and Toronto. His visual editing, assigning and designs have been recognized worldwide at international awards programs. He splits his time between Ottawa and New York City.
Rob Csernyik
Rob Csernyik is a 2022 Michener-Deacon investigative journalism fellow and a contributing columnist for The Globe and Mail. His writing has also appeared in Canadian Geographic, Chatelaine and Maisonneuve. He is the editor of Great Canadian Longform.
Saima Desai
Saima Desai is an editor, writer, and indie media diehard. She’s written for The Breach, The Grind, THIS Magazine, NOW Toronto, and The Tyee. She is on the editorial collective of Between The Lines Books, and she was previously the editor of Briarpatch Magazine, where she won Issue Grand Prix at the 2022 National Magazine Awards for Briarpatch‘s Land Back issue.
Nehal El-Hadi
Nehal is the Interim Editor-in-Chief at The Conversation Canada, and Editor-in-Chief of Studio Magazine. Her ongoing research examines human-sand relations, and she holds a residency at Toronto’s Theatre Centre.
Angie Gardos
Angie Gardos is a Toronto-based journalist and longtime executive editor at Toronto Life. Over her 35-year career, she has won several National Magazine Awards, mentored dozens of other editors and writers, and ushered countless magazine pieces into being.
Cédric Gagnon
After studying graphic design at Cégep de Sherbrooke and graphic design at the University of Québec in Montreal, Cédric Gagnon joined Le Devoir in 2018 as a graphic designer. This lead him to participate in the ideation and graphic creation of various projects dedicated to digital platforms (animations, interactive projects, illustrations, etc.). His involvement has earned him several nominations and awards at the Digital Publishing Awards every year since 2019 as well as at the Canadian Journalism Competition in 2022.
Raj Grainger
Raj Grainger is a UK-born multidisciplinary graphic designer and creative director who lives and works in Tkaronto (Toronto). He studied conceptual art and media design and currently focuses on editorial, print- and identity-based projects. He likes to collaborate with cultural and educational institutions, non-profits and other creatives. His work has been recognized by Communications Arts, Applied Arts magazine, the Registered Graphic Designers of Canada (RGD), The Advertising & Design Club of Canada and has been nominated for three National Magazine Awards. In 2019 he started his own studio and teaches at the SCHOOLOFDESIGN at George Brown College.
Huda Hassan
Huda Hassan’s writing appears in many places, including Pitchfork, Globe & Mail, Chatelaine, Cosmopolitan, and Hazlitt. In 2017, FLARE magazine named her a writer to watch. Dr. Hassan is a professor at New York University and a NYPL research fellow.
Jude Isabella
Jude Isabella is a science journalist, concentrating on the environment, ecology, and archaeology. She is editor in chief of Hakai Magazine, an online publication focused on coastal science and societies.
Laurie Jennings
Laurie Jennings is a veteran media executive, editor and business leader. Most recently, she served as General Manager of the Good Housekeeping Institute at Hearst Magazines in New York City, where she led business operations and editorial strategy, driving exceptional audience growth and a wide range of content-driven revenue innovations. Under her leadership, the Good Housekeeping Institute grew into an unstoppable powerhouse of thought leadership, product testing, content and commerce, resulting in record-breaking growth and profitability for the brand. Over her 25-year career, Laurie has honed her skills as a brand and people leader. She knows talent when she sees it and she’s skilled at guiding highly cross-functional teams to rally around shared values and a brand mission. A sought-after speaker, she has presented at CES, SXSW and the Global Wellness Summit and has served as a judge for prestigious awards from ASME and Digiday. As a HearstLab Scout, she played a key role in screening startups for potential investment by Hearst Ventures. Earlier in her career, Laurie held senior editorial teams at Chatelaine, Wish, and House & Home, among others. Currently, Laurie is focused on helping emerging media brands and startups refine their voice and strategy while growing market share and awareness. Find her on Instagram at @lauriejenningsnyc.
Evaan Kheraj
Evaan Kheraj is a Canadian born, New York based photographer & director whose love for documenting spans decades and genres. With a background in new media, he has built a career on bringing fresh concepts and a sense of the real-world into all of his work. Whether it’s editorial, commercial advertising, or fine art, Evaan’s adaptability, sincerity, and work ethic makes him the supreme collaborator. He’s an artist who’s always rallied against what’s common, developing a cohesive aesthetic that reflects just that. When not developing his craft and working on various projects, he’s documenting the lives of his wife and 3 children at home.
Jenn Lawrence
Jenn Lawrence is an award winning art director and designer as well as a snack enthusiast, birder, and organization aficionado.
L’Amour Lisik
L’Amour Lisik (she/they) is a queer writer of Chinese Mauritian/Scottish settler descent who lives on the unceded traditional territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples (Victoria, BC).
Catherine MacIntosh
Catherine MacIntosh is a Toronto-based author with a focus on art and design. She is currently working on two books for Figure 1 publishing to be released in 2025. She is former Editor-in-chief at Designlines magazine and senior editor at Azure and House & Home magazines. Throughout her 25-year career, she has contributed to several national and international publications.
Sandra E. Martin
Sandra E. Martin is The Globe and Mail’s Standards Editor, a role that seeks to ensure The Globe’s journalism is of the highest quality and that the organization is accountable to readers. Trust in media is under constant scrutiny, so the Standards Editor plays an important part in explaining The Globe’s policies and protocols to customers. Sandra addresses complaints regarding accuracy or bias, as well as any questions arising from The Globe’s use of artificial intelligence, supporting The Globe’s commitment to transparency about how we see the benefits and risks. Previously, she served as The Globe’s Head of Newsroom Development, as well as Editor-in-Chief of MoneySense. She has also been an instructor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Journalism. A former Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Living, Sandra also is a two-time National Magazine Awards finalist, a repeat NMA judge, and a two-time NMA host. She sits on the board of directors of Canada’s National History Society and SABEW Canada.
Catherine Métayer
For 8 years, Catherine was VP of Content at BESIDE, a media brand focused on nature and culture, where she led a creative team producing bilingual content across multiple platforms. In 2024, she co-founded studio réunion, an editorial studio specializing in conscious content strategy. Catherine holds an MA in Publishing and has a background in international relations and journalism. She’s written for travel and art publications, curated exhibits, and was nominated for the 2023 Editor Grand Prix at the National Magazine Awards.
Deborah Morrison
Deborah Morrison is currently the Publisher of University Affairs magazine. Previously she was Publisher of Canada’s History magazine and served as Chair of Magazines Canada, Magazines Manitoba, and jury member for OMDC, Canada Arts Council, & the NMAs.
Ife O. Olatona
Ife O. Olatona is a multi-genre writer. Named a 5 under 25 emerging poet to watch by The Times in 2021, his writing has been published by The Massachusetts Review, The Chicago Review of Books and The New York Times.
Julia Peterson
Julia Peterson is a reporter and web editor for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, and an award-winning playwright grateful to live, work and play on Treaty Six territory in Saskatchewan.
Hawlii Pichette
Hawlii Pichette is a Mushkego Cree (Treaty 9), urban, mixed-ancestry artist. Her work is deeply influenced by her culture and upbringing and reflects the beautiful interconnections of the natural world. She currently lives in London, Ontario, Canada.
Jennie Punter
Jennie Punter is a veteran arts journalist and magazine editor. Currently, she is the editor of Musicworks, a non-profit Canadian print magazine that explores innovative artists, ideas, and events in music and sound. She also contributes to Variety.
Mark Reid
Mark Reid is the Senior Editor of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. The author and editor of 4 books, including 3 national bestsellers, Mark spent 16 years as Director of Content & Communications and Editor-in-Chief of Canada’s History magazine.
Jessica Rose
Jessica Rose is a writer, editor, and reviewer whose work has appeared in publications across Canada. Her writing has appeared in Quill and Quire, Room, rabble.ca, Herizons, This, and the Humber Literary Review. She is a senior editor at the Hamilton Review of Books, a founding editor of The Inlet, the former book reviews editor for THIS Magazine, and a regular contributor to Hamilton City Magazine. Jessica is the current Marketing Manager at gritLIT: Hamilton’s Readers and Writers Festival and sits on the Hamilton Arts Council’s Literary Committee. Her essay “Reclaiming Hamilton Through Artistic and Environmental Interventions” appears in Reclaiming Hamilton: Essays from the New Ambitious City. Her first book for young people will be released by Orca Book Publishers in 2024.
Danielle Sayer
Danielle Sayer, based in Montreal, is the Art Director of Québec Science magazine. Previously serving as Deputy Art Director at Reader’s Digest Canada and Sélection for a decade, she also contributed to the design of indie magazine Worn Fashion Journal.
M. Jay Smith
M. Jay Smith is an Edmonton writer and lawyer. Her writing has appeared in diverse venues, from the Los Angeles Times to Hazlitt to myriad literature journals. Her book of poems about the films of Michelangelo Antonioni appears in Spring 2024.
Katherine Takpannie
Katherinengujunga, Ottawamiutaujunga. My name is Katherine Takpannie, and I currently live in Ottawa, on the unceded and unsurrendered land of the Anishinaabe Algonquin peoples. My anaana is originally from Apex Hill, however I was born in Montreal, QC. I am a self-taught photographer who wants to reveal the complexities and nuances of my urban Inuit life.
Isa Tousignant
Isa Tousignant is a Montreal-based editor and writer with a curiosity that runs deeper than most. She has chatted life philosophies with celebrity chefs, gemologists, arena rockers and furries. All were transformative.
Alison Uncles
Former Maclean’s EIC, currently VP at the Public Policy Forum, a non-partisan think tank. Spent the majority of my 30-year career in journalism in features and projects.
Jennifer Varkonyi
Jennifer Varkonyi is the publisher of Maisonneuve, an award-winning quarterly of arts, opinion and ideas. She served as Chair of the board of Magazines Canada from 2019-2021. In 2023, she was the recipient of the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement, presented by the National Magazine Awards. Originally from Saskatoon, she lives in Montreal.
Shannon Webb-Campbell
Shannon Webb-Campbell is of Mi’kmaq and settler heritage and lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is a member of Flat Bay First Nation in Newfoundland and Labrador. Her previous books include Lunar Tides, I Am a Body of Land, and Still No Word, which received Egale Canada’s Out in Print Award. Her forthcoming book, Re: Wild Her, is a form of Indigenous resurgence and pleasure through “poem spells” and offers a different prism with which to rewild ourselves. Shannon holds a PhD from the University of New Brunswick in English-Creative Writing and is the editor of Visual Arts News Magazine and Muskrat Magazine.
Élise Ascoet
Élise Ascoet is a French-Canadian art director and illustrator working in publishing and magazines in Montreal. She holds bachelor’s degrees in visual communications from the New York Institute of Technology and in graphic design from Créapole (Paris), and previously worked for 15 years in advertising (DDB, Havas, McCann…). Élise is passionate about the visual arts in general (painting, graffiti, street art, tattooing, comics…) and enjoys exploring new horizons. Her motto: “There is no creativity without curiosity”
Raymond Biesinger
Raymond Biesinger is a Montréal-based illustrator, artist, and best-selling author who has been involved in more than 1000 editorial and commercial assignments on five continents since 2002. His interests include minimalism, maximalism, world and local history, equality, diversity, economics, music, science fiction, historic buildings, pictorial maps, Canadiana, wall art, preserving a 145-year-old home, etc.
Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours
Gabrielle Brassard-Lecours est journaliste et cofondatrice des médias Ricochet et Pivot. Elle a publié des articles sur divers sujets dans la plupart des médias québécois. Elle a été présidente de l’Association des journalistes indépendants du Québec et enseigne le journalisme dans les universités québécoises. Elle a co-publié un ouvrage collectif sur la relève journalistique intitulé Prendre Parole (Somme Toute, 2021). Elle est également réalisatrice et productrice de podcasts et s’implique beaucoup dans le milieu médiatique.
Alyanna Denise Chua
Alyanna Denise Chua is the assistant editor at Maclean’s, where she oversees the magazine’s back-of-book section, curating stories on arts, immigration and housing from across Canada. She lives in Toronto.
Paul Dallas
Paul is an artist whose work has appeared in international exhibits, publications and TV, earning him over 150 industry awards. He was named “Artist-Educator of the Year” by New York’s 3×3 Magazine, and “Alumnus of Influence,” OCADU’s highest honour.
Kevin Donovan
Kevin Donovan is the Toronto Star‘s Chief Investigative Reporter. His focus is on journalism that exposes wrongdoing and effects change. Over four decades he has reported on the activities of charities, government, police, business among other institutions. Kevin also reported from the battlefields in the Gulf War and the war in Afghanistan following 9/11. He has won three National Newspaper Awards, two Governor General’s Michener Awards, the Canadian Journalism Foundation award and three Canadian Association of Journalists Awards. As the Star’s editor of investigations for many years, Donovan led many award-winning projects for the paper. He is the author of several books, including the Billionaire Murders; Secret Life: The Jian Ghomeshi Investigation; and the “Dead Times” (a fiction novel). You can listen to his Suspicion podcast series wherever you listen to podcasts, and check out the Billionaire Murders documentary on Crave.
Katie Engelhart
Katie Engelhart is a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine. She mostly writes about the philosophy and ethics of medicine. Engelhart is the recipient of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing, the 2021 George Polk for Magazine Reporting, and the 2021 John Bartlow Martin Award for Public Interest Journalism. Her book The Inevitable: Dispatches on the Right to Die was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2021.
Charlotte Genest
Charlotte Genest is a freelance fact-checker and researcher in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. She was previously the senior researcher at Reader’s Digest Canada, and has contributed to Maisonneuve, THIS, Chatelaine and Toronto Life.
Mélissa Guillemette
Diplômée de l’Université du Québec à Montréal, Mélissa Guillemette a commencé sa carrière au quotidien Le Devoir avant de prendre un virage magazine à la rédaction de Jobboom. Elle s’est ensuite spécialisée en journalisme scientifique chez Québec Science, où elle a plus tard occupé le rôle de rédactrice en chef. Elle est présentement journaliste indépendante.
Meredith Holigroski
Meredith Holigroski is an art director and designer based in Toronto, Ontario. She is the senior designer at The Walrus and has previously worked for the Globe and Mail and Toronto Life.
Arvin Joaquin
Arvin Joaquin is an award-winning journalist and editor. He is currently a journalist and host of OMNI News: Filipino. He has been nominated for multiple National Magazine Awards and was awarded the Excellence in HIV coverage by the NLGJA in 2021.
Jane Kelly
Jane Kelly publishes and edits Watershed magazine, a regional publication that delivers high quality, community-centric journalism. In 2024, she received the National Magazine Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Richard Kelly Kemick
Richard Kelly Kemick is an award-winning poet, journalist, and fiction writer. His collection of short stories, Hello, Horse, was published August 2024 by Biblioasis.
Courtney Khimji
Courtney Khimji is a communications specialist and the founder of Chimera Collective, an independent PR firm based in Toronto. She has 18 years of experience leading integrated, interdisciplinary campaigns for blue-chip global brands. She holds a Masters degree in the Humanities from the University of Chicago.
Jennifer Lee
Jennifer’s career as a writer and an editor includes founding two National Magazine Award-nominated digital magazines. She later transitioned into content marketing and is now the Director of Marketing, Content & Editorial at the Stratford Festival.
Jacqueline Loch
A media executive specializing in multi-platform branded content and revenue generation, Jacqueline is EVP Strategy & Revenue, AZURE Media. A recognized leader in media innovation and a frequent speaker across North America and Europe.
Domenic Macri
Domenic Macri has designed and art directed for Toronto Life, FASHION magazine, Flare, What’s Cooking, and GUSTO!, and is best known as art director for The Globe and Mail’s much-lauded Report on Business (ROB) magazine. Over the past decade, Domenic has led ROB through several redesigns and earned recognition from the Art Directors Club of Canada and the National Magazine Awards.
Nora Merola
Nora a enrichi le domaine des communications écrites grâce à une carrière diversifiée en tant que journaliste, rédactrice et réviseure. Ancienne rédactrice en chef du magazine Sélection du Reader’s Digest, elle a dirigé avec brio l’équipe francophone, tant pour le magazine que pour sa plateforme numérique. Animée par une véritable passion pour l’art de la communication sous toutes ses formes, elle a naturellement évolué vers la communication stratégique. Aujourd’hui, elle occupe le poste de conseillère principale au Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications (CRTC), où elle met son expertise au service de la rédaction de discours percutants et stratégiques.
Justin Mignot
Justin Mignot is an art director based in Montreal.
Sabrina Myre
Journaliste et ancienne correspondante à Jérusalem, Sabrina Myre a réalisé de nombreux reportages tout au long de sa carrière pour permettre aux Canadiens de mieux comprendre le monde qui les entoure, au Québec comme à l’international. Son fil rouge? Les droits de la personne, en particulier ceux des femmes, dans les zones de conflits. Elle est lauréate d’un prestigieux prix en 2023 de l’Association canadienne des journalistes pour ses reportages sur le cauchemar des enfants canadiens détenus en Syrie, diffusés à Radio-Canada. Elle a aussi remporté une médaille d’argent aux Prix du magazine canadien, en 2024, pour un reportage sur les femmes démineuses à Mossoul, en Irak, publié dans le magazine Elle Québec. Elle est diplômée de l’Université McGill et détentrice d’une maîtrise de Sciences Po Paris. Elle est aujourd’hui conseillère en communication et aux partenariats au Centre d’études et de recherches internationales de l’Université de Montréal.
Simone Olivero
Simone is a Toronto-based writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. Her work has been published in Toronto Life, Chatelaine, The Toronto Star, Today’s Parent and more. She is currently the managing editor at Canadian House & Home.
Sandy Pool
Sandy Pool is a queer essayist, poet and Professor of Creative Writing. Her work has been widely anthologized and nominated for a Governor General’s Award, the Trillium Book Award and a Toronto Arts Award as well as winning Gold at the 2024 NMAs.
Kaydi Pyette
Kaydi holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University and serves as the Editor in Chief of Paddling Magazine and Kayak Angler. She has managed Rapid Media’s editorial department since 2012.
Bradley Reinhardt
Bradley Reinhardt is an Indigenous Graphic Designer and Artist from Batchewana First Nation of Ojibways in Northern Ontario and is based in Toronto. He has worked as an Art Director at Eye Weekly, Toronto Star, Toronto Life, Toronto International Film Festival and Cottage Life. He now works as an Art Director in Film and Television production.
Rebecca Rosenblum
Rebecca Rosenblum is the membership and communications manager at Magazines Canada, the former managing editor of Canadian Woman Studies/les cahiers de la femme, and the author of several books of fiction and memoir.
Marc-André Sabourin
Marc-André Sabourin est chef du bureau affaires et économie à L’actualité, où il pilote également la section Dollars et cents, sur les finances personnelles. Ses reportages pour le magazine l’ont mené aux quatre coins de la planète, ainsi qu’à l’écran de Télé-Québec, avec les documentaires Bitch ! et Les voleurs d’identité.
Barb Sligl
Barb Sligl is a Vancouver-based writer, editor, photographer. She’s won numerous awards as a magazine editor and individually (including gold from SATW and NATJA, and she was a finalist in the 2023 NMAs and the Explore Canada Awards of Excellence).
Danielle Stanton
Danielle Stanton est journaliste indépendante depuis PLUS DE 30 ANS. Elle a signé plus d’une centaine d’articles touchant aussi bien la culture que les tendances sociales émergentes ou la science dans de nombreux magazines au Québec (L’actualité, Elle-Québec, La Gazette des femmes, Sélection du Reader’s Digest…) et ailleurs (L’EXPRESS). Elle est également l’auteure de Nous sommes Télé-Québécois (La Presse, 2018) qui retrace le parcours de cette télé publique depuis sa création. Son travail journalistique a été couronné à maintes reprises, notamment par le Prix Justicia, le Prix du magazine canadien et le Prix René-Lévesque.
Chantal Tranchemontagne
Chantal Tranchemontagne, founder of Big Catch Communications, crafts smart content and stories that help businesses and communities connect. She’s also runs Perch, a digital magazine covering life and culture in rural Eastern Ontario.
Emily Urquhart
Emily Urquhart is the author of three books of creative nonfiction including the essay collection, Ordinary Wonder Tales, a finalist for the 2023 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction. She is a two-time National Magazine Award winner.
Patrick Walsh
Outdoor Canada’s editor-in-chief since 2000, Patrick Walsh is a past-president of the NMAF and a former chair of Magazines Canada’s membership committee. He also spearheaded two Magazines Canada task forces on advertising-editorial guidelines, and was named the association’s 2009 Volunteer of the Year. In 2005, 2011 and 2012, the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors named him Editor of the Year. He was inducted into the Canadian Angler Hall of Fame last year.
Lisa Whittington-Hill
Lisa Whittington-Hill is the publisher of This Magazine. Her writing has appeared in Longreads, The Walrus, Catapult, Hazlitt, The Globe and Mail, and more. She was nominated for a National Magazine Award in the personal journalism category in 2022. She is the author of a book in the 33 1/3 music series on Beauty and the Beat by The Go-Go’s. Girls, Interrupted, her collection of essays on how pop culture is failing women, will be published by Vehicule Press in Fall 2023.
Anne-Marie Voisard
Journaliste retraitée du quotidien Le Soleil, de Québec. Prix Judith-Jasmin. Toujours vivement intéressée à l’information sous toutes ses formes.
Alexis Aubin
Alexis Aubin is a Montreal-based visual journalist and content creator specializing in humanitarian and social issues. With a background in photography and communications, he has spent over a decade documenting human rights, healthcare access, and crisis response in various contexts. His work explores the connections between people and their environments, addressing issues such as territorial dynamics, identity, and the impact of conflict on civilian populations. His photographs have been published by AFP, Le Monde, The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, The Atlantic, and other international media and humanitarian organizations.
Thierry Bissonnette
Thierry Bissonnette est rédacteur stratégique et chargé de projets éditoriaux. Il a signé de nombreuses chroniques et entrevues pour des publications incluant Le Devoir, Nuit blanche et Spirale. Sous le pseudonyme Thierry Dimanche il a publié une douzaine d’ouvrages littéraires, dont l’essai-fiction Tombeau de Claude Gauvreau (Leméac, 2022).
Joyce Byrne
Joyce Byrne is an award-winning veteran of the Canadian magazine industry, having led publishing, editorial, creative, and sales teams across Canada and on nearly every type of magazine. Joyce is the recipient of the National Media Awards Foundation’s Outstanding Achievement Award, and is past president of Alberta Magazine Publishers Association. She is a curriculum consultant and content producer and is the host of the Strategies for Canadian Magazines Webinar Series, as well as the Executive Director of the International Regional Magazines Association. Joyce lives in Toronto and her personal brand is I Love Magazines.
Joseph Cicerone
Joseph Cicerone is a Toronto-based writer, editor and content strategist. As the Editor-in-Chief of Designlines magazine, he leads the digital presence of Toronto’s premier design authority, focusing on contemporary interior design.
Carolyne de Bellefeuille
Carolyne de Bellefeuille has been Creative Director of lstw magazine, lez spread the word (a 2SLGBTQIA+ magazine) for 10 years, an organization where she is involved in order to change mentalities. lstw is a magazine that has won several awards at the NMAs, such as Art Direction Grand Prix, Issue Grand Prix and Magazine Grand Prix.
Puneet Dutt
Dutt’s The Better Monsters (Mansfield Press) was a Finalist for the Trillium Book Award For Poetry and was named one of “Ontario’s Best Books” by NOW Magazine. She is a Poetry Editor at The Fiddlehead.
Napatsi Folger
Napatsi Folger is an Inuk editor, comic artist, fiction, non-fiction, and children’s literature writer from Iqaluit, NU. She now lives in North Vancouver, BC and graduated from UBC with an MFA in Creative Writing in 2021. Folger is the Tauttunnguaqti responsible for the creative vision at the Inuit Art Foundation. She was also the 2023-2024 Writer and Artist in Residence at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Her work has been featured in Momus, Studio Magazine, Maisonneuve, Carousel Magazine, Long Con Magazine, Walrus Magazine, and numerous other publications since 2011. Folger’s latest book, The Art and Life of Ningiukulu Teevee, was published in September 2023, and her first book, Joy of Apex, was published in 2011, both by Inhabit Media
Melissa Geurts
Group Creative Director at Good Housekeeping & former Design Director of Chatelaine, Melissa merges legacy brand experience with a modern digital approach. Her 15-year tenure shines through engaging magazines, digital content, videos, & social media.
Sara Harowitz
Sara is the editor-in-chief of The Georgia Straight in Vancouver. Sara has received Honourable Mention at past NMAs for work with Maisonneuve (writing) and SAD Mag (editing), and was also a judge for the Short Feature category in 2019.
David Huebert
David Huebert is the author of the award-winning story collections Peninsula Sinking and Chemical Valley and the poetry collection Humanimus. His debut novel, Oil People, was published by McClelland & Stewart in August 2024.
Emmanuel Kattan
Emmanuel Kattan is Director of the Alliance Program. He was previously Director of the British Council in New York, where he oversaw academic collaboration programs. He created partnerships with the Henry Luce Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation to launch initiatives connecting higher education institutions across the Atlantic. Before joining the British Council, Emmanuel was Senior Adviser at the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, where he managed strategic communications and engagement with academic communities. He also held senior positions at the Commonwealth Secretariat and at the Quebec Delegation in London, where he was in charge of academic relations programs. A native of Montreal, Emmanuel studied politics at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar and earned a PhD from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. He is the author of five books: an essay on the politics of memory and four novels.
Caitlin Kelly
Former reporter for The Globe and Mail, Montreal Gazette and New York Daily News, author of “Blown Away: American Women and Guns” (Pocket Books 20024) and “Malled: My Unintentional Career in Retail” (Portfolio, 2011), Caitlin Kelly has written for the Financial Times, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Chatelaine, Canadian Business, Maisonneuve, Toronto Life and many more. She won a Canadian National Magazine Award for humor. She coaches other writers and has been blogging since 2009 at
https://broadsideblog.wordpress.com/
Jason Lau
An award-winning designer and multimedia artist with an MA in Anthropology, Lau’s human-centered work draws from his commitment and passion for understanding people, communities, materiality, and culture. His work has been recognized by the NMAs, D&AD, Adobe, and RGD. He most recently served as Editor of Tusaayaksat Magazine, published by Inuvialuit Communications Society in Inuvik, NT, for over five years.
Amélie Legare
Spanning two decades, Amélie’s BA in Graphic Communications has led her from design agency and newspaper management roles in Whistler, to orchestrating detailed photo shoots and design projects for a range of private, government, corporate and media clients—from tourism collateral to environmental reports to municipal communication campaigns. Also a doyenne of magazine creative direction, Amélie has designed publications like Flavours, Wishes and Right Sizing, and curates four titles for Mountain Life Media, with whom she has worked for 20 years. She is also the art director and designer of SCOREGolf Magazine.
Jose R. Lopez
Jose R. Lopez is a former staff photographer and Pulitzer Prize winning picture editor for The New York Times. He has judged photo contests including the White House News Photographers Assoc. and the 2024 Canadian National Magazine Awards.
Mark Mann
Mark Mann is a longtime magazine writer and editor specializing in reported features, essays and profiles. He was the Associate Editor-in-Chief of BESIDE magazine and is currently an editor at Corporate Knights. He lives in Montreal.
Amanda Merpaw
Amanda Merpaw (she/her) is the author of the poetry collection Most of All the Wanting and the chapbook Put the Ghosts Down Between Us. She has been a finalist for the Montreal Fiction Prize, The Fiddlehead Fiction Contest, and the Poem of the Year contest. Her writing has appeared in various literary magazines, including the Literary Review of Canada, carte blanche, Grain, Plenitude, and Prairie Fire. Amanda is a contributing editor at Arc Poetry Magazine and a member of the editorial board at Anstruther Press.
Erik Mohr
Erik’s design career and passion for visual storytelling have spanned over 25 years. His strength in building and leading creative teams has resulted in numerous industry awards from the Society of Publication Designers, the Canadian National Magazine Awards, the Art Directors Club of Canada, Magazines du Québec and the Content Council.
Jadine Ngan
Jadine Ngan (@jadinengan) is a National Magazine Award-nominated freelance journalist based in Toronto. She is currently the Digital Editor at Maclean’s.
Amy O’Kruk
Amy O’Kruk is a New York-based visual journalist. She works as a Data & Graphics editor at CNN, where she’s passionate about using illustration to engage readers. Previously, she worked in newsrooms at The Globe and Mail and NBC. Whenever she can, she loves working with early career journalists and has mentored through the Canadian Association of Journalists, Shared Bylines and Columbia University, where she graduated from the Lede Program in 2019. She is on the advisory board for Western University’s student newspaper, The Gazette.
Philippe Orfali
Philippe Orfali a été journaliste pendant quinze ans, couvrant notamment la politique, l’économie et l’actualité générale pour plusieurs grands quotidiens (Le Devoir, Le Journal de Montréal, Le Droit, La Presse). Nommé aux Prix Judith-Jasmin, il est notamment lauréat d’un Prix du magazine canadien B2B. Il est détenteur d’un baccalauréat en journalisme de l’UQAM et d’une maîtrise en gestion des affaires (MBA) de l’Université d’Ottawa, et travaille aujourd’hui en communications pour un groupe mondial d’investissement.
Marie-Paule Primeau
Marie-Paule Primeau is the editor-in-chief of Dire (Université de Montréal) since January 2015. On top of heading Dire, she’s an editor for Protégez-Vous and Verdict santé. She’s also a science communication advisor and a copyeditor. Marie-Paule is currently pursuing graduate studies in publishing at the Université de Sherbrooke. She lives in Montréal.
Melissa Ren
Melissa Ren is a Chinese-Canadian writer whose narratives tend to explore the intersection between belonging and becoming. She is a prize recipient of Room Magazine‘s Fiction Contest, a Tin House alum, a grant recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts, and a senior editor at Augur Magazine. Find her at linktr.ee/MelissaRen or follow @melisfluous on socials.
Rosa Saba
Rosa Saba is a business reporter and editor at The Canadian Press, reporting mainly on the grocery industry and financial markets.
Alexander Sallas
Alexander Sallas is the Editor-at-Large for the Literary Review of Canada and a Ph.D. Candidate in English and Writing Studies at Western University.
Stephen Smith
Stephen Smith is a writer/editor in Toronto, a contributor to Canadian Geographic, The New York Times, West End Phoenix, and The Walrus. Author of the book Puckstruck, he steers a blog at puckstruck.com that keeps an eye on hockey books and history.
Carmine Starnino
Carmine Starnino is editor-in-chief of The Walrus.
Jimmy Thomson
Jimmy Thomson is the managing editor of Canada’s National Observer and a veteran award-winning environment journalist. His work has appeared in The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, The Walrus, The Narwhal and The Washington Post, and he has taught journalism and writing at UBC and UVic. Jimmy hosted the National Magazine Awards gala in 2024 and has been part of several NMA juries.
Martha Troian
Martha is an award-winning investigative journalist and writer who delves into Indigenous politics, historical injustices, human rights, women’s and environmental issues, and Indigenous strength. She writes across multiple genres and is the author of the children’s picture book It’s Powwow Time, published by Greenwillow/HarperCollins. Currently, she is working on a non-fiction investigative book and play through Pimootayowin at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. Apart from writing, Martha is also a contemporary jeweller. She studied journalism at Carleton University and the University of King’s College.
Stéphanie Verge
Stéphanie Verge is the features editor at Toronto Life. Previously, she was the deputy editor of Reader’s Digest Canada, the co-editor-in-chief of the bilingual queer magazine lstw, and a senior content creative at the creative agency Sid Lee.
Tanya R. Ward
Tanya R. Ward is a writer from Toronto. Her work has appeared in Room, This, PRISM, RAWSIY III, and elsewhere. Her stories have been recognized in Room’s fiction contest, the Crazyhorse short fiction contest, and the American Short(er) Fiction Prize.
Sigrun Wister
Sigrun Wister is a veteran editorial art director and designer who has worked at top newsstand publications including Chatelaine, Flare, The Walrus and National Post Business. She has also worked extensively in corporate design, helping to shape the visual identities of some of Canada’s leading brands. As an educator, she now helps the next generation of creatives gain skills and achieve their potential in editorial design, typography, and the finer points of art direction.
