The National Magazine Awards recognize editorial and visual excellence and the people behind it. Here are ten reasons to enter your best work, illustrated by the experiences of past winners.
These testimonials come from our archives. Roles and publication affiliations reflect the context in which each testimonial was given. Translated quotations are identified.
1. Reach new readers
Recognition can introduce your magazine and its stories to readers who might not otherwise discover them.
We did feel that if we were lucky enough to get noticed at the National Magazine Awards in our first year of eligibility it would help us spread the word of what we are about and who we are trying to reach. The NMAs mean a great deal to people in the magazine industry and to writers in general; they indicate what is working at a high level and signal to the country what might be worth paying attention to.
2. Earn recognition from your peers
An award or nomination recognizes the quality of your work through the judgment of fellow magazine professionals.
It is immensely gratifying, on a professional level, when our team and contributors earn a National Magazine Award, or simply garner a nomination for that matter. It’s yet another measurement of how well we are serving our audience, based on the criteria for magazine excellence as determined by our industry peers.
3. Get noticed
Awards can bring greater visibility to writers and visual creators, opening doors to new audiences and connections.
Just being nominated for the 2023 NMAs was an incredible honour, particularly as a freelancer. Working alone can often feel like writing into a void, so to receive the acknowledgement of my peers was tremendously affirming. I’m beyond grateful to have received the award for investigative journalism for such an unusual, complex and deeply personal story, and to know that the recognition allowed more readers to discover it.
Winning the NMA illustration award has given me more credibility, visibility and networking opportunities as an artist and illustrator. I’m proud to be recognized alongside so many great folks working in various aspects of Canadian media, and always looking forward to the new and interesting projects that come my way through the NMA community
4. Build momentum for your next project
Recognition for a magazine piece can encourage a larger creative project and attract interest from publishers or agents.
I got a lot of great feedback and everyone at the magazine was effusive and full of praise. It was very validating and it really encouraged me to continue the novel. Or it certainly put a skip in my step as I was finishing the rest of it: knowing that people had taken a peek at it and had approved.
5. Open doors in your career
An award can help your work reach editors, publishers and literary agents, creating opportunities for what comes next.
The impact of this award was stunning. Here I was, writing from an isolated basement office in Vancouver, and all of a sudden my work is being recognized nationally. Personally, it was an unbelievable affirmation that the sacrifices I’d made to leave a twenty-year corporate consulting career had been worth it. Professionally, it was a game changer. The NMA nominations provided me with an entrée into one of the country’s top literary agencies. I met with and acquired [an] agent the day of the awards ceremony. In short, I believe that the recognition of the National Magazine Awards catapulted me from the ground floor of my writing profession to the penthouse suite.
6. Showcase original ideas
Bring attention to the fresh perspectives, ambitious reporting and creative approaches that make your work distinctive.
An award is the culmination of our efforts, recognition that we have reached our goal. No one feels obliged to read a magazine to keep up with current events. Newspapers, television and continuous news on the Web give us stiff competition. It is up to us, the people who make magazines, to offer original stories and fresh, surprising angles that make us indispensable in the eyes of the public.
7. Build your confidence
Peer recognition can be a powerful encouragement, particularly when much of your creative work happens independently.
The National Magazine Award was a vote of confidence that I was in the right line of work. We all need a thumbs-up from the world sometimes, as we toil away in the studio.
8. Celebrate your creators
Submitting outstanding work acknowledges the talent and effort of the people who bring your magazine to life.
An award is useful for communicating to our stakeholders that we are successful. It adds momentum to what we do every day at the magazine… We create content to satisfy our readers, not to win awards. But it is our creators who get the awards and the cash prize, and for an editor, that’s an honour.
9. Celebrate a nomination
Being named a finalist is an achievement in its own right and a meaningful milestone in a creative career.
As a young artist, it is a great honour to be recognized nationally, which in turn provides many assurances of support for my career. I was thrilled to be nominated for a National Magazine Award in 2009 even though I only received a honourable mention. Even with greater astonishment, [in 2011] I was called up on stage to receive the Gold award. An award not only provides charming publicity but it raises the standards in my work and, therefore, produces a wonderful opportunity to surpass my previous accomplishments.
10. Believe in your work
Give the stories and images you are proud of the opportunity to be recognized by your peers.
I think we should always believe in what we do. Successful magazine stories have that ‘wow’ factor, and with everything we do we try to achieve that. You know that story matters, that content matters. If you believe you achieved success then you should enter the National Magazine Awards, because then you’ll know if your peers agree; that it made them say, ‘wow’.