We are delighted to unveil the finalists for the 43rd National Magazine Awards, including the publications short listed for the Best Magazine awards.
NOMINATIONS LIST (PDF)
WINNER’S CELEBRATION INFO
PRESS RELEASE
VERSION FRANÇAISE
For this year’s competition, 174 Canadian magazines from coast to coast to coast—English and French, print and digital—submitted the work of more than 2,000 writers, editors, photographers, illustrators, art directors, and other creators. The NMAF’s 124 volunteer judges have selected a total of 179 submissions from 64 different Canadian publications for awards in 28 written, visual, editorial, and best magazine categories.
BEST MAGAZINE AWARDS
Three publications have been shortlisted in each of the four Best Magazine divisions. The outstanding nominees are:
Best Magazine: News, Business, General Interest
Best Magazine: Service & Lifestyle
Best Magazine: Art, Literary & Culture
Best Magazine: Special Interest
GRAND PRIX AWARDS
There are five grand prix categories. Each of these awards is given to the magazine, editor, publisher, issue or art director whose writing and art warrants the highest honour and recognition.
Magazine Grand Prix
The Magazine Grand Prix award—the highest honour bestowed to a publication—will be presented to one publication among the four winners of the Best Magazine awards, revealed at the upcoming winners’ celebration in June.
Editor Grand Prix
Jocelyn Bell, Broadview
“The complete re-visioning of Broadview magazine in 2019 was a huge undertaking that required strong editorial leadership, and Jocelyn Bell delivered. The magazine’s look and feel, the quality of its content, and its digital presence are greater than ever. The degree of difficulty in transforming Canada’s longest-publishing magazine was high, and it’s clear that her entire team and the magazine’s readers have roundly supported her vision for success. ” NMA Jury
Dawn Calleja, Report on Business
“Due in large part to Dawn Calleja’s professional excellence, Report on Business is in a league of its own in the Canadian magazine industry. Her leadership in guiding stories through production, supporting writers and maintaining a bold vision for the magazine is evident, and over the past year she’s taken on an even larger role, steering the publication through big changes.” NMA Jury
Nicolas Langelier, Nouveau Projet
“Under Nicolas Langelier’s leadership, Nouveau Projet continues to innovate as both a business and a magazine. In the past year they’ve made great strides to extend their brand, develop new writers and bold stories, and become more pan-Canadian. To be as successful as they’ve been and still look for ways to improve is daring. There’s simply no other magazine like it in Canada.” NMA Jury
Issue Grand Prix
The Issue Grand Prix award honours quality and originality of the content of an entire issue as well as its relevance to the intended readers. The magazine finalists are: Dînette Magazine (017-Duo), Le Trente (Novembre 2019), LSTW (LSTW #4), Maisonneuve (The Climate Issue), Nouveau Projet (No.16), Toronto Life (A Critical Look at Sidewalk Labs), and University of Toronto Magazine (The Migration Issue).
Art Direction Grand Prix
This coveted award honours excellence in art direction for a complete issue. This year’s nominated art directors include: last year’s winner, Eliane Cadieux (BESIDE: NUMÉRO 07) and Carolyne de Bellefeuille (LSTW: LSTW #4).
Cover Grand Prix
This notable award celebrates the outstanding creation of a magazine cover in collaboration by editors, circulators and art directors to enhance reader experience. This year’s nominees are Mathieu Lachapelle, HĂ©lène Mallette (DĂ®nette Magazine, 016 – Renouveau), Studio Feed (Esse arts + opinions, no. 97 – Appropriation), AmĂ©lie Chamberland, Charles Grandmont (L’actualitĂ©, La rĂ©volution vĂ©gane), Edith Pelletier, Christian Blais, Charles Grandmont (L’actualitĂ©, Le prochain premier ministre ?) and Brett Gundlock, Studio Wyse, Stacey Gibson (University of Toronto Magazine, The Migration Issue).
Best Emerging Writer
Award sponsored by the Reader’s Digest Foundation
Prix commandité par la Fondation Reader’s Digest
The jury selected three nominees for Best Emerging Writer. This award is given to the individual whose early work in magazines shows the highest degree of craft and promise. This year’s emerging writers are:
- Kate Black for Awkward Cause published in Maisonneuve.
- Rachel Jansen for In the Burn published in Maisonneuve.
- Arvin Joaquin for He survived Chechnya’s LGBTQ purge. Now, he’s ready to tell his story published in Xtra.
NOMINATION HIGHLIGHTS
- Toronto Life leads with 15 nominations (they also had the most nominations in 2019)
- Maclean’s is in second place with 14 nominations this year
- The Walrus and L’actualité tied for third with 12 nominations each
- Alec Castonguay of L’actualité received the most individual nominations with three, followed by several two-time nominated creators:
- Zander Sherman (Report on Business)
- Troy Sebastian/nupqu ʔak·ǂam̀“ (The Walrus)
- Shannon Gormley (Maclean’s)
- Sabrina Myre (ELLE Québec)
- Rowan McCandless (The Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review)
- Nicholas Hune-Brown (Sharp)
- Emily Urquhart (Room Magazine)
- Chris Nuttall-Smith (Toronto Life)
TOP NOMINATED MAGAZINES
| Publication | Nominations |
| Toronto Life | 15 |
| Maclean’s | 14 |
| The Walrus | 12 |
| L’actualitĂ© | 12 |
| Maisonneuve | 8 |
| Hazlitt | 6 |
| Report on Business | 5 |
| Nouveau Projet | 5 |
| Dînette Magazine | 5 |
| Chatelaine | 5 |
| Broadview | 5 |
Air Canada EnRoute has 4 nominations.
Publications with 3 nominations each include Alberta Views, Cottage Life, LSTW, Québec Science and The Malahat Review.
Publications with 2 nominations each include BESIDE, Canada’s History, Canadian Art, Canadian Geographic, Clin d’oeil, ELLE QuĂ©bec, Esse arts + opinions, EXILE Quarterly, Geist, Grain Magazine, Inuit Art Quarterly, Le Trente, Prairie Fire, Room Magazine, Sharp, Today’s Parent, University of Toronto Magazine and Xtra.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
On April 21, the NMAF was delighted to announce that the recipient of the 2020 Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement is Don Gillmor. For Gillmor’s incredible contributions to the Canadian magazine industry, we are proud to present him with this prestigious award. Read more.
Congratulations to all the nominees of the 43rd National Magazine Awards!
CREDIT CHANGES
We request that all nominees email us with their contact information by May 1, 2020 so we may share important details of the winners’ celebration. Deadline for credit changes (by email only) is also May 1, 2020.
ABOUT THE 43rd NMA’s WINNERS’ CELEBRATION
For the first time since its debut in 1977, the National Magazine Awards will be held as a virtual event. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, our team will be bringing the 43rd annual NMA winners’ celebration live to your homes so the entire magazine community can join the celebration.
Producing this live virtual event requires a full team of technicians and professionals. To help bring this year’s celebration to the industry across the country, the Foundation is requesting a pay-what-you-can donation (we suggest $25) in lieu of ticket costs. As a small charitable organization, these donations are vital to the Foundation’s ability to honour this year’s winners and nominees through this virtual gala. Learn more here.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The NMAF gratefully acknowledges the support of the Government of Canada, the Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Creates and Reader’s Digest Foundation. We are also thankful for the support of our partners, Candescent, CCR Solutions, Cision, Magazines Canada and Very Good Studios.
A special thanks to art director John Montgomery for creating this year’s visual elements.
