On June 1st, the National Media Awards Foundation (NMAF) proudly presented the winners of the 41st annual National Magazine Awards. The gala was hosted by award-winning reporter Noémi Mercier, and held at the Arcadian Court in Toronto.
“Tonight, the Canadian magazine community congregated in Toronto to celebrate the best in our industry. Special guests joined our writers, editors, designers, publishers, and visual artists to celebrate excellence in magazine journalism. On behalf of the National Media Awards Foundation, and those working in this great and vibrant industry, I congratulate the winners and nominees of this year’s National Magazine Awards.” – Nino Di Cara, President of the NMAF
BEST NEW MAGAZINE WRITER
The prestigious Best New Magazine Writer award was presented to Jessica Rose, for her piece “Lost and Found” published in Toronto Life. This award recognizes an emerging author whose early work in magazines shows the highest degree of craft and promise.
The National Magazine Awards jury said of the story:
“With the suspense and pacing of a great mystery, Rose unwinds her own search for family and belonging with an outstanding, unputdownable rookie effort.”
Honourable mentions went to Julian Brave NoiseCat (Canadian Geographic), Justin Dallaire (United Church Observer), Christopher Elliott (Outpost Magazine) and Hadiya Roderique (The Walrus).
MAGAZINE GRAND PRIX
The Site Magazine—a literary, architecture, and urbanism journal—captured the coveted Magazine Grand Prix award. This award honours the magazine that delivers the best consistency, packaging, and reader experience; that demonstrates overall excellence in bringing teams together to create a spectacular product; is aspirational and inspiring, helping to take magazine media to the next level. The National Magazine Awards jury said of the magazine:
“The Site Magazine impresses readers with the consistency of its content and design. Though highly specialized, this audacious magazine captures the essence of contemporary publishing through a conceptual approach that illuminates our time in an intelligent, deep and original way. The result is a great reader experience on every page, one that is truly deserving of the Magazine Grand Prix.”
The Site Magazine was also the winner of the Best Magazine: Art & Literary award, and the Silver winner in the Best Editorial Package category, for its whole-issue package titled “Future Legacies.”
The winners for the six GRAND PRIX: BEST MAGAZINE categories are: L’actualité for Best Magazine: General Interest; Ricardo for Best Magazine: Lifestyle; Best Health for Best Magazine: Service; FASHION Magazine for Best Magazine: Fashion & Beauty; The Site Magazine for Best Magazine: Art & Literary; and Hayo for Best Magazine: Special Interest.
Five magazines won a National Magazine Award for the first time: Hayo, Inuit Art Quarterly, L’inconvénient, Registered Nurse Journal and The Site Magazine.
New to this year’s program was the Edtor Grand Prix award, which was presented to Lianne George, editor of Chatelaine magazine. The award honours an individual who is making an outstanding impact on a magazine as an editor. Receiving Honourable Mention were Charles Grandmont (L’actualité) and Nicolas Langelier (Nouveau Projet).
The 2018 Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement was presented to Joyce Byrne, publisher of Avenue Calgary. Described as a “champion of magazines,” Joyce has an all-in approach to her work that makes her stand out.
“Joyce doesn’t look for easy,” notes Penny Caldwell, former editor and publisher of Cottage Life. “Since bursting onto the magazine publishing scene, she has consistently reached beyond her own sphere to help others.”
Read more about Joyce’s dedication to the magazine industry at magazine-awards.com/oa.
Top winning magazines at the 41st National Magazine Awards:
|
Magazine |
GOLD |
SILVER |
HM |
|
L’actualité |
3 |
4 |
6 |
|
Dînette Magazine |
3 |
0 |
2 |
|
The Site Magazine |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
Toronto Life |
2 |
1 |
6 |
|
The Walrus |
2 |
0 |
10 |
|
Maclean’s |
2 |
0 |
5 |
|
Canadian Geographic |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|
FASHION Magazine |
1 |
1 |
7 |
|
L’inconvénient |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Magazines that took home one Gold medal include: Best Health, Chatelaine, Eighteen Bridges, ELQ/Exile Magazine, Hayo, Literary Review of Canada, New Trail, Prefix Photo, Registered Nurse Journal, Ricardo, Swerve, and The Kit Compact.
Air Canada enRoute, Alberta Views Magazine, Avenue Edmonton, Azure, ELLE Canada, Flare, Hakai Magazine, Inuit Art Quarterly, Québec Science, Prairie Fire, The Malahat Review, URBANIA, and Vancouver Magazine all received one Silver medal.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 41st NATIONAL MAGAZINE AWARDS
The magazine L’actualité won three Gold and four Silver medals. Reporter and columnist Noémi Mercier captured Gold for her column “Des gars, des filles.” In the Service Journalism category, L’actualité swept both awards, with journalist Yanick Villedieu taking Gold for “La guerre au sucre” and Mathilde Roy Silver for “Quand Facebook remplit les biberons.” Data journalist Naël Shiab also captured Silver in Investigative Reporting for his story “Marchandises militaires : la grande hypocrisie canadienne,” as did Marc-André Sabourin in the Feature Writing category for “L’école à la chaîne. The magazine art director, Amélie Chamberland, also won silver for Art Direction of a Single Magazine Article for the piece “Changer le monde.” Finally, the publication was named Best General Interest Magazine.
Lifestyle magazine Dînette, published by editor and art director Hélène Mallette and publisher and photographer Mathieu Lachapelle, took home three Gold Medals in the categories of Best Editorial Package (the “Salé” issue), Lifestyle Photography (“Les îles Féréo : à la frontière du monde et des saveurs”) and Art Direction Grand Prix (the “Pigment” issue).
Toronto Life took home three medals, two golds and one silver. The coveted Best New Magazine Writer title went to emerging writer – and the magazine’s former art director – Jessica Rose, who impressed the judges with her piece “Lost and Found.” As well, writer Raizel Robin won a Gold medal for his investigation into the Toronto South Detention Centre (“The 1-Billion Hellhole”). Finally, Toronto Life captured its third award of the night thanks to Malcolm Johnston’s profile of the Blue Jays’ star third-baseman, titled “Josh Donaldson’s Road to Glory.”
The Walrus won two Gold medals in the visual categories of Illustration and Portrait Photography. Visual artist Lauren Tamaki captured Gold for her piece “Get the Scissors,” as did photographer Sara Hylton in Portrait Photography thanks to her “Portraits of Resilience.”
Maclean’s magazine won two National Magazine Awards, both Gold. Writer Jason Markusoff took home the award for Feature Writing (“The New Underground Railroad”), and Nancy Macdonald for Short Feature Writing (“Waiting for Death in Thunder Bay”).
The Canadian Geographic team also took home two Gold Medals. Wade Davis, Nick Walker and Chris Brackley won in the category of One-of-a-Kind Storytelling for their “Indigenous languages of Canada Poster Map,” and writer Charles Wilkins in the writing category of Long-Form Feature Writing for his story “Trash Nation.”
FASHION Magazine’s work was recognized twice, as the publication captured a Gold and a Silver Medal. The magazine was named Best Fashion & Beauty Magazine in addition to winning Silver for Cover Grand Prix for “40 Years of Style.”
The French-language literary publication L’inconvénient captured two awards after receiving its first-ever nominations at the National Magazine Awards. Poet Rosalie Lessard won the Gold Medal in Poetry for her piece “Base-de-roc,” the first time in the history of the National Magazine Awards that a French-language poem has captured the Gold Medal. Meanwhile photographer David Himbert won Silver in Photojournalism and Photo Essay for his Cuban story “Les Cubains et l’après-Fidel.”
WRITING & VISUAL AWARDS
In the 18 creator-focused categories, the Gold and Silver medalists are:
Long-Form Feature Writing
Gold: Charles Wilkins, “Trash Nation,” Canadian Geographic
Silver: J.B. MacKinnon, “Death of a Modern Wolf,” Hakai Magazine
Feature Writing
Gold: Jason Markusoff, “The new underground railroad,” Maclean’s
Silver: Marc-André Sabourin, “L’école à la chaîne,” L’actualité
Best Short Feature
Gold: Nancy Macdonald, “Waiting for Death in Thunder Bay,” Maclean’s
Silver: Christopher Frey, “Osaka To ‘Em,” Air Canada enRoute
Columns
Gold: Noémi Mercier, “Des gars, des filles,” L’actualité
Silver: Anne Thériault, “Anne Thériault, Flare
Essays
Gold: Stephen Marche, “Northern Shadows,” Literary Review of Canada
Silver: Clem Martini, “When Things Fall Apart,” Alberta Views Magazine
Investigative Reporting
Gold: Raizel Robin, “The $1-Billion Hellhole,” Toronto Life
Silver: Naël Shiab, “Marchandises militaires: la grande hypocrisie Canadienne,” L’actualité
Fiction
Gold : Diana Svennes-Smith, “Stranger In Me,” Exile/ELQ Magazine
Silver: Jason Jobin, “Before He Left,” The Malahat Review
Personal Journalism
Gold: Omar Mouallem, “Homeland for the Holidays,” Eighteen Bridges
Silver: Guillaume Roy, “À vous glacer le sang,” Québec Science
Poetry
Gold: Rosalie Lessard, “Base-de-roc,” L’inconvénient
Silver: Sarah Klassen, “Beauty; Sermon series in a Mennonite Church,” Prairie Fire
Professional Article
Gold: Daniel Punch, “Living Me,” Registered Nurse Journal
Silver: Linda Besner, “The Glass Tower,” Azure
Profiles
Gold: Danielle Groen, “Courage, My Love,” The Kit Compact
Silver: Malcolm Johnston, “Josh Donaldson’s Road to Glory,” Toronto Life
Service Journalism
Gold: Yanick Villedieu, “La guerre au sucre,” L’actualité
Silver: Mathilde Roy, “Quand Facebook remplit les biberons,” L’actualité
Best New Magazine Writer
Gold: Jessica Rose, “Lost and Found,” Toronto Life
Illustration
Gold: Lauren Tamaki, “Get the Scissors,” The Walrus
Silver: Robert Carter, “Family History,” Avenue Edmonton
Lifestyle Photography
Gold: Mathieu Lachapelle, “Les îles Féroé : à la frontière du monde et des saveurs,” Dînette Magazine
Silver: D. Picard, “Easy Riders,” ELLE Canada
Portraits Photography
Gold: Sara Hylton, “Portraits of Resilience,” The Walrus
Silver: Carlo Ricci, “Towing the Line,” Vancouver Magazine
Photojournalism and Photo Essay
Gold: George Webber, “Uprooted,” Swerve
Silver: David Himbert, “Les Cubains et l’après-Fidel,” L’inconvénient
One of a Kind Storytelling
Gold: Wade Davis, Nick Walker, Chris Brackley, “Indigenous Languages of Canada Poster Map,” Canadian Geographic
Silver: Inuit Art Quarterly staff and contributors, “30 Artists to Know,” Inuit Art Quarterly
EDITORIAL AWARDS
The gold winners for the editorial awards, presented to the staff of the magazine, are:
Cover Grand Prix
Gold: Marcey Andrews, Lisa Cook, Daniella Zalcman, “Truth First,” New Trail
Silver: Brittany Eccles, Noreen Flanagan, Owen Bruce, Benjamin Shine, Anna Katsanis, Lucas Wilson, Linda Gradin, Rieko Okusa, Alexandria Rudolph, Amber Witcomb, “40 Years of Style,” FASHION Magazine
Best Editorial Package
Gold: Hélène Mallette, “Salé,” Dînette Magazine
Silver: Miriam Ho, Ruth Jones, Aisling O’Carroll, Carey van der Zalm, Michael Taylor, Nicole Bruun-Meyer, “Volume 37: Future Legacies,” The Site Magazine
Art Direction Grand Prix
Gold: Hélène Mallette, “Pigment,” Dînette Magazine
Silver: Nicolas Boissy, “Spécial nos parents,” URBANIA
Art Direction for a Single Article
Gold: Underline Studio, “Documenta Doubled,” Prefix Photo
Silver: Amélie Chamberland, “Changer le monde,” L’actualité
Editor Grand Prix
Lianne George, Chatelaine
For a complete list of winners in all categories, visit magazine-awards.com.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The NMAF gratefully acknowledges the support of the Government of Canada, the Ontario Arts Council and the Ontario Media Development Corporation. The Foundation thanks its generous sponsors, CDS Global and the Reader’s Digest Foundation, as well as its partners Cision, Goetz Storytelling, Impresa Communications, Magazines Canada, RedPoint Media and Marketing Solutions, Rolland Paper, Solisco, The Arcadian Court, Toronto Life, Very Good Studios, and the Feathertale Review.
The NMAF gratefully acknowledges all its suppliers and its contributors who donated gifts in kind to support the awards program. We thank them for their generosity, interest and expertise.
