The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) has released the shortlists of finalists for this year’s National Magazine Awards–the Ellies. The winners will be announced at their annual gala on May 2 in New York.
Last year’s announcement of the finalists was accompanied by a vocal brouhaha in US magazine circles, concerning the absence of female nominees in 5 key categories. This year industry watchers are already making note of the presence of women, who comprise half (17 of 34) of the nominees in the writing categories, including 3 of 5 in Fiction and in Commentary, and all 5 in the category Public Interest.
This year, 62 publications were nominated in 23 categories. National Geographic received the most with seven, followed by Bon AppĂ©tit and New York, both with six. GQ and The New Yorker both received five nominations; Esquire, Harper’s Magazine, Mother Jones and Texas Monthly all received four. [See all nominees]
Finalists in the ASME Magazine of the Year category, honoring excellence both in print and on digital platforms, will be announced on Monday, April 8.
Canadian writer Alice Munro is among the nominees in Fiction, for her story “Train,” which appeared in the April 2012 issue of Harper’s.
The finalists for the Canadian National Magazine Awards will be announced on May 1. This year’s awards gala is June  7 in Toronto.
