Esquire Wins 2005 National Magazine Award

PUBLISHED ON 04.13.2005

NEW YORK, April 13, 2005-The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism today presented the 2005 National Magazine Awards, the industry's most prestigious editorial honor, to 18 print and online magazines across 22 categories. The New Yorker received five of the coveted "Ellies" (named after the Alexander Calder Stabile "Elephant," which is ASME's symbol of the award) and was the only magazine to receive multiple awards. Winning their first "Ellie" ever: BabyTalk, Dwell, Kids: Fun Stuff to Do Together, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Style.com.

The 2005 National Magazine Award winners are:

-Glamour for General Excellence (over 2,000,000 circulation)

-The New Yorker for General Excellence (1,000,000 to 2,000,000 circulation)

-Wired for General Excellence (500,000 to 1,000,000 circulation)

-Martha Stewart Weddings for General Excellence (250,000 to 500,000 circulation)

-Dwell for General Excellence (100,000 to 250,000 circulation)

-Print for General Excellence (under 100,000 circulation)

-Baby Talk for Personal Service

-Sports Illustrated for Leisure Interests

-The New Yorker for Reporting

-The New Yorker for Public Interest

-Esquire for Feature Writing

-The New Yorker for Profile Writing

-National Geographic for Essays

-National Journal for Columns and Commentary

-The New Yorker for Reviews and Criticism

-Popular Science for Magazine Section

-Newsweek for Single-topic Issue

-Kids:Fun Stuff to Do Together for Design

-Gourmet for Photography

-Time for Photo Portfolio/Photo Essay

-The Atlantic Monthly for Fiction

-Style.com for General Excellence Online

Links to the National Magazine Award-winning and nominated magazines, articles and sections are now available at www.asme.magazine.org.

The awards were presented at a ceremony held at The Waldorf-Astoria in midtown Manhattan attended by 1,200 editors, publishers, industry professionals and guests.

The New Yorker received ten received nominations and five awards. The Atlantic Monthly received five nominations and won a single award. Esquire, Gourmet, and Sports Illustrated received three nominations and won one award each. Kids: Fun Stuff to Do Together, National Geographic, Newsweek, and Print received two nominations and won one award each.

The National Magazine Awards honor magazines that consistently demonstrate superior execution in carrying out stated editorial objectives, innovative editorial techniques, noteworthy journalistic enterprise, and imagination and vigor in layout and design.

This year's program attracted 1,562 entries from 318 print and online magazines. The 111 finalists and 22 winners were chosen by 195 editors, art directors, educators and online media experts.

Over the years, a number of 2005 award recipients have received multiple awards. The New Yorker has received 44 awards; The Atlantic Monthly has received 19 awards; Esquire has received 16 awards; National Geographic has received 12 awards; Newsweek has received 11 awards; Sports Illustrated has received nine awards; Time has received eight awards; Glamour has received five awards; Wired has received four awards; National Journal and Print have received three awards each; and Gourmet and Popular Science have received two awards each.

Established in 1966, the National Magazine Awards is the preeminent program in the magazine industry honoring editorial excellence. ASME sponsors the awards program in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Following are the 2005 National Magazine Award winners with judges' citations. (Note that editors listed held that position at the time the issue was published in 2004.)

GENERAL EXCELLENCE - This category recognizes overall excellence in magazines. The award honors the effectiveness with which writing, reporting, editing and design all come together to command readers' attention and fulfill the magazine's unique editorial mission.

Over 2,000,000 circulation -- Glamour: Cynthia Leive, editor-in-chief, for October, November, December issues.

"Like an outspoken, spirited, and slightly kooky but wise best friend, Glamour advises and informs its readers about all the various aspects of their lives, from relationships and careers to health, fashion, beauty, and contemporary events. At its core, Glamour is a magazine of advocacy. For its millions of young women readers, the message-accept yourself and be as good as you can be-rings out loud and clear."

1,000,000 to 2,000,000 circulation -- The New Yorker: David Remnick, editor, for February 16 & 23, May 10, August 30 issues.

"Like an enormous battleship parting the waters, The New Yorker is steady as she goes-and as solid and fearsome as ever. Seymour M. Hersh's groundbreaking reporting on Abu Ghraib got the ink, but superb personal essays by Adam Gopnik and Ian Frazier and a cover-to-cover commitment to quality journalism kept the magazine on its award-worthy course."

500,000 to 1,000,000 circulation -- Wired: Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief, for February, October, November issues.

"Wired uncovers the most surprising and resonant stories about the people, companies, technologies, and ideas that are transforming our lives. As our culture blasts off into new realms of technology, science, business, and media, Wired gives its readers the tools they need to navigate the future."

250,000 to 500,000 circulation -- Martha Stewart Weddings: Darcy Miller, editorial director; Melissa Morgan, executive editor, for Winter, Summer, Fall issues.

"For the woman who wants a storybook wedding all her own, Martha Stewart Weddings is an unparalleled resource. With sumptuous photography, a distinctive design and an authoritative voice, the magazine delivers practical advice on everything from big-picture plans to a wedding's most exquisite details."

100,000 to 250,000 circulation -- Dwell: Allison Arieff, editor-in-chief, for March, October/November, December issues.

"Not every shelter magazine starts out with a quote from Nietzsche, but that's Dwell, an unconventional magazine that views good architecture and home design as a limitless exploration in which everyone can participate. Dwell brings heart and smarts to the task of creating homes that fit our lifestyles and ideals, and can also improve the quality of our lives."

Under 100,000 circulation -- Print: Joyce Rutter Kaye, editor-in-chief, for January/February, July/August, September/October issues.

"With a vitality that bursts off its pages, Print presents a broad spectrum of topics demonstrating the significance of design and visual communication in our world. From its controversial 'Sex Issue,' with its analysis of the effects of explicit sexual imagery to the election coverage issue, Print expands our understanding of how design influences everything."

PERSONAL SERVICE - This category honors excellence in service journalism. The advice or instruction presented should help readers improve the quality of their personal lives.

BabyTalk: Susan Kane, editor-in-chief, for You Can Breastfeed!, by Kristin O'Callaghan, August.

"In 'You Can Breastfeed!' Kristin O'Callaghan mixes useful advice, knowing humor and accessible prose to demystify one of the more complex experiences of new motherhood. Presenting seven common challenges faced by most breastfeeding moms-the piece artfully sets a comforting, we're-all-in-the-same-boat tone while offering highly practical tips for nursing moms."

LEISURE INTERESTS - This category recognizes excellent service journalism about leisure-time pursuits. The practical advice or instruction presented should help readers enjoy hobbies or other recreational interests.

Sports Illustrated: Terry McDonell, managing editor, for its 2004 Olympic Preview, August 2.

"Sports Illustrated's 'Olympics 2004' preview package of the Athens games was the ultimate pre-meeting memo: Read it and you know everything there is to know about the athletes, sports and venues of the 2004 Summer Olympics. With its solid reporting and flawless photography, Sports Illustrated delivers to its readers the rarest of finds: sports journalism worth saving."

REPORTING - This category recognizes excellence in reporting. It honors the enterprise, exclusive reporting and intelligent analysis that a magazine exhibits in covering an event, a situation or a problem of contemporary interest and significance.

The New Yorker: David Remnick, editor, for Dying in Darfur, by Samantha Power, August 30.

"Samantha Power's 'Dying in Darfur' makes it impossible for us to avert our eyes from the ethnic cleansing in western Sudan. Her firm, intelligent control of her material, born of reporting of extraordinary enterprise, allows the horrors of the Sudanese conflict, and the political forces behind it, to speak for themselves."

PUBLIC INTEREST - This category recognizes journalism that has the potential to affect national or local policy or lawmaking. It honors investigative reporting or groundbreaking analysis that sheds new light on an issue of public importance.

The New Yorker: David Remnick, editor, for the three articles by Seymour M. Hersh, Torture at Abu Ghraib, May 10; Chain of Command, May 17; The Gray Zone, May 24.

"The photos of U.S. soldiers abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib prison provoked disbelief and outrage when they were first broadcast. But it was Seymour M. Hersh who revealed the much larger and more disturbing story that the pictures couldn't tell. In three pieces written for The New Yorker in three consecutive weeks, Hersh traced the conditions that created the prison scandal to a 'black ops' program approved by the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Terror, as Hersh showed, had indeed come full circle at Abu Ghraib."

FEATURE WRITING - This category recognizes excellence in feature writing. It honors the stylishness and originality with which the author treats his or her subject.

Esquire: David Granger, editor-in-chief, for Home, by Chris Jones, July.

"Two astronauts trapped on the International Space Station as a result of the shuttle Columbia disaster literally had only one chance to make it back to earth safely. "'Home' is a dramatic and revealing story about one of the longest stays in space, the mourning for lost colleagues, and the tortured and nearly deadly journey back, told by the astronauts themselves-unusual for a notoriously silent and selfless breed of men."

PROFILE WRITING - This category recognizes excellence in profile writing. It honors the vividness and perceptiveness with which the writer brings his or her subject to life.

The New Yorker: David Remnick, editor, for The Gift, by Ian Parker, August 2.

"'The Gift' is a respectful but candid portrait of a man, Zell Kravinsky, and his fixation-giving away his kidney to a virtual stranger. Ian Parker gives this profile a layered, intellectual context with thoughtful meditations on extreme, unhindered-and possibly misguided-charity. All the while Parker manages a tone that is judiciously neutral, leaving moral judgments to the readers."

ESSAYS - This category recognizes excellence in essay writing on topics ranging from the personal to the political. Whatever the subject, emphasis should be placed on the author's eloquence, perspective, fresh thinking and unique voice.

National Geographic: William L. Allen, editor-in-chief, for Was Darwin Wrong?, by David Quammen, November.

"Much of the American public still fails to accept the truth of the theory of evolution. Nevertheless, National Geographic's courageous cover story dared readers to shake off their prejudices. Firmly but tactfully, David Quammen marshals genetic data, antibiotic-resistant germs, and the anklebone of a fossil whale to build the case for Charles Darwin's great insight, concluding that 'the evidence for evolution is overwhelming.'"

COLUMNS and COMMENTARY - This category recognizes excellence in short-form political, social, economic or humorous commentary. The award honors the eloquence, force of argument and succinctness with which the writer presents his or her views.

National Journal: Charles Green, editor, for three columns by Jonathan Rauch, On Same-Sex Marriage, Bush Failed the Public and Himself, March 6; Fix the McCain-Feingold Law. Oops-Can I Say That?, September 25; Good Plan, Republicans. But It Didn't Work In Britain., December 18.

"From subjects as diverse as same-sex marriage to campaign finance reform, Jonathan Rauch's columns in the National Journal exemplify the best in political analysis and commentary. Reasoned, heartfelt and persuasive even at their most contrarian, they bring Washington's policy debates to life."

REVIEWS and CRITICISM - This category recognizes excellence in criticism of art, books, movies, television, theater, music, dance, food, dining, fashion, products and the like. It honors the knowledge, persuasiveness and original voice that the critic brings to his or her reviews.

The New Yorker: David Remnick, editor, for three reviews by Adam Gopnik, Times Regained, March 22; The Big One, August 23; Will Power, September 13.

"In the hands of Adam Gopnik, critical writing achieves liftoff. With his intelligence and wit, he carries his reader to deep new worlds: Times Square, the trenches of the Great War, the Bard's Stratford. Best of all, he bends his talents in the service of his subject, never losing touch with his commitment to transmit the wonder of what he has discovered."

MAGAZINE SECTION - This category recognizes the excellence of a regular department or editorial section of a magazine, either front- or back-of-book and composed of a variety of elements, both text and visual. Selection based on the section's voice, originality, design, and packaging.

Popular Science: Scott Mowbray, editor-in-chief, for its section How 2.0, April, May, June.

"Whether the topic is making a pencil or hacking your TiVo, 'How 2.0' celebrates nerdiness at its best, delivering hands-on projects for both novices and tech junkies with energy, enthusiasm, and clarity. Never off-putting, the section is meticulously conceived, often witty, and always fun to navigate."

SINGLE-TOPIC ISSUE - This category recognizes magazines that have devoted an issue to an in-depth examination of one topic. It honors the ambition, comprehensiveness and imagination with which a magazine treats its subject.

Newsweek: Mark Whitaker, editor, for How He Did It, a special issue on the presidential election, November 15.

"Newsweek's special issue on the 2004 presidential campaign was produced by a separate team of reporters and editors and closed the day after the November 2nd election. The centerpiece of their effort, a 50,000-word story on 'How Bush Did It' tucks insights, scoops, and drama inside a remarkably intimate narrative."

DESIGN - This category recognizes excellence in magazine design. It honors the effectiveness of overall design, artwork, graphics and typography in enhancing a magazine's unique mission and personality.

Kids: Fun Stuff to Do Together: Jodi Levine, editorial director; Melissa Morgan, executive editor; Deb Bishop, design director, for July/August, September/October, Winter issues.

"Every page of Kids demonstrates the meticulous, imaginative and obviously heartfelt collaboration between design, photo direction and editorial content, providing kids and parents with a magazine to share and treasure, one that is charming but never condescending or cutesy. 'How Now,' the kids magazine-within-the-magazine brims with energy and intelligence."

PHOTOGRAPHY - This category recognizes excellence in magazine photography. It honors the effectiveness of photography, photojournalism and photo illustration in enhancing a magazine's unique mission and personality.

Gourmet: Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief; Richard Ferretti, creative director; Erika Oliveira, art director; Amy Koblenzer, photo editor, for October, November, December issues.

"Passionate, luscious and witty, Gourmet offers its readers travel and food photography as rich and diverse as a Chinese banquet. Iconic and instructive pictures highlight both the front- and back-of-book, while sensuous photography in the main editorial well stirs up a desire for food-and the urge to cook."

PHOTO PORTFOLIO/PHOTO ESSAY - This category recognizes a distinctive portfolio or photographic essay. It honors either photos that express an idea or a concept, or documentary photojournalism shot in real time.

Time: James Kelly, managing editor; Arthur Hochstein, art director; Michele Stephenson, director of photography, for The Tragedy of Sudan, by James Nachtwey, October 4.

"The maimed and the starving, the dead and the grieving: photographer James Nachtwey's stark, dramatic images of the crisis in Darfur capture the agony of lives uprooted and destroyed by conflict. But with Nachtwey's masterly eye and bold, iconic composition, these photos go further than cataloguing what's been lost: They show the grandeur of the humanity and dignity that survive."

FICTION - This category recognizes excellence in magazine fiction writing. It honors the quality of a publication's literary selections.

The Atlantic Monthly: Cullen Murphy, managing editor, for An Incomplete Map of the Northern Polarity, by Nathan Roberts, January/February; Foaling Season, by Aryn Kyle, May; The One in White, by Robert Olen Butler, July/August.

"From an emotionally harrowing account of overly obsessive love to a graceful and authentic story of a young woman's first brush with crippling disappointment to a haunting tale of love and loss in a war-torn foreign country, this gratifying trio of short stories exemplify the transcendent appeal of gorgeous everyday detail as well as the ineluctable allure of the truly bizarre."

GENERAL EXCELLENCE ONLINE - This category recognizes outstanding magazine Internet sites, as well as online-only magazines and Weblogs that have a significant amount of original content.

Style.com: Jamie Pallot, editorial director, CondéNet

"Winning rave reviews from industry professionals and style-conscious consumers, Style.com covers every major fashion show with comprehensive commentary, gorgeous photos, and elegant interactive editorial. Published within hours of each show, these reports give readers a virtual-front row seat to the future of fashion."

The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is a non-profit professional organization for editors of magazines which are edited, published and sold in the U.S. Established in 1963, ASME currently has about 900 members nationwide. Among other things, ASME provides an opportunity for magazine editors to network with their peers. ASME works to preserve editorial independence and speaks out on public policy issues, particularly those pertaining to the First Amendment.

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