Vogue magazine took home the grand prize, while perennial favourites and rivals New York and the New Yorker won the most honours in a night of surprises at the US National Magazine Awards, aka the Ellies, in–where else?–New York City.
Vogue was named Magazine of the Year by the jury, topping fellow finalists New York, The Hollywood Reporter, Better Homes & Gardens and Cosmopolitan. The award for Magazine of the Year recognizes general excellence in print and digital media as well as other facets including branded content and events.
New York, which has the most nominations with 10, and The New Yorker each took home 3 awards. New York took the top honours for design, for columns and commentary, and for magazine section.
The New Yorker won for essays and criticism, for fiction, and for general excellence as a general interest magazine.
Despite nominating a record number of digital-only publications this year, the Ellies only recognized one–The Atavist–with an award, for feature writing.
First-time nominee Nautilus, a science magazine launched in 2013, surprised many by grabbing 2 Ellies, for best website and for general excellence in literature, science and politics magazines.
The fine folks at Longreads have created a Reading List of Ellie-winning stories from this year’s competition.
Also honoured was TIME photojournalist James Nachtwey, who received the Creative Excellence Award for his career-long contributions to magazine media. The awards dinner was hosted by David Muir, anchor and managing editor of ABC News’ “World News Tonight.”
Known as the Ellies, for the Alexander Calder stabile “Elephant” given to each winner, the National Magazine Awards are sponsored by the American Society of Magazine Editors in association with the Columbia Journalism School.
Complete list of winners at the 2015 US National Magazine Awards.
General Excellence
General Interest Magazines: New Yorker
Service and Lifestyle Magazines: Glamour
Style and Design Magazines: Garden & Gun
Active Interest Magazines: Men’s Health
Special Interest Magazines: The Hollywood Reporter
Literature, Science and Politics Magazines: Nautilus
Other Categories
Design: New York
Photography: National Geographic
Single-Topic Issue: San Francisco for “The Oakland Issue,” June
Magazine Section: New York for “Strategist”
Website: Nautilus
Tablet Magazine: National Geographic
Multimedia: The Texas Observer in Partnership With Guardian US for “Beyond the Border,” by Melissa del Bosque, Aug. 6
Video: Vice News for “The Islamic State,” by Medyan Dairieh, Aug. 15
Public Interest: Pacific Standard for “Women Aren’t Welcome Here,” by Amanda Hess, January/February
Personal Service: O, The Oprah Magazine, for “Ready or Not: The Caregiver’s Guide,” November
Leisure Interests: Backpacker for “The Complete Guide to Fire,” edited by Casey Lyons, October
Reporting: GQ for “Inside the Iron Closet,” by Jeff Sharlet, February
Feature Writing: The Atavist for “Love and Ruin,” by James Verini, February
Feature Photography: Time for “Crime Without Punishment,” photographs by Jerome Sessini, July 24
Essays and Criticism: The New Yorker for “This Old Man,” by Roger Angell, Feb. 17 and 24
Columns and Commentary: New York for “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” Oct. 8, by Jerry Saltz
Fiction: The New Yorker for “The Emerald Light in the Air,” by Donald Antrim, Feb. 3
Magazine of the Year: Vogue
More coverage at AdAge.
Photos via ASME Flickr.
Vogue, New York, New Yorker big winners at US National Magazine Awards
