Azbee Awards of ExcellenceMagazine of the Year, other print award finalists announced! Contest
to split into digital, print competitions
for
2009; The national and regional finalists in the print Azbee Awards have been announced. These publications are up for awards. How each publication placed, and in which categories, will be revealed at the regional and national banquets. See which publications are finalists:
The national awards banquet will take place on July 16 during the two-day National Editorial Conference at the Marriott Washington in Washington, D.C. Information on regional banquets is as follows:
Additonal information on the awards ceremonies will be posted here as soon as it is available. Journalism That Matters Award Winner AnnouncedThe first-ever Journalism That Matters award will go to David Silverberg, editor of HSToday, which covers homeland-security issues. In his January 2008 editorial, Silverberg took on the NFL for refusing to run a job recruitment ad for the U.S. Border Patrol during the Super Bowl. Inspired by the journalism in the ASBPE-published book Journalism That Matters: How Business to Business Editors Change the Industries They Cover, the Journalism That Matters award recognizes a B2B journalist whose coverage triggered a tangible change within government or industry. Read more about how Silverberg won the award. Separate Print, Digital AwardsThis year, ASBPE will hold a separate Digital Azbee Awards program. It will operate on a later schedule than the print awards. The entry deadline for the Print Azbees was Jan. 30. The Digital Azbees entries will be due in late summer; the exact date will be announced. A one-day digital conference and awards banquet is set for Nov. 5, 2009, in San Francisco. Members will be notified when digital submissions may begin. Details about digital categories will be announced later in 2009. The July Print Azbee awards ceremony will acknowledge the two Magazine of the Year winners, while the Digital Azbees will honor the Web Site of the Year and the Multi-Platform Presentation of the Year. In advance of the national and regional awards banquets, all entrants will be notified by email of the finalists and their posting to the ASBPE Web site. Learn more about the changes to the competition for 2009. Get a primer on how to win an editorial award (96K PDF).
About the CompetitionASBPE’s Awards of Excellence program is one of the most competitive there is for business-to-business, trade, association, and professional publications. The awards recognize outstanding work by magazines, newsletters, and digital media — Web sites, e-newsletters, digital magazines, and blogs. The competition is open to all U.S.-based publications. ASBPE membership is not required for entry, but members will receive a discount on entry fees. The top entries nationwide receive national awards. Print publications also compete against others in their own regions, as follows:
Northeast: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Central-Southeast: Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Midwest-South: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Frequently Asked QuestionsFor answers to frequently asked questions about entries and the competition, please click here or contact:
About the Judging ProcessExperienced judges with background in business publications read each editorial, design, Web, newsletter, and Magazine of the Year entry. Their introduction to each entry is a required and important one-page cover letter of 250 words or fewer, describing the publication’s mission and readership and discussing both the work that went into the entry and its significance to readers. The following are the general criteria for judging: Editorial (and newsletter) judging — based on quality of writing, reporting and editing; development of the subject; presentation, and value to readers. Design judging — layout and composition; use of typography, graphics and photography; content; originality; relevance to the related story or publication, and how easily the entry communicates useful information to the reader. Web judging — reporting, writing, design, usability, readability, organization, value to readers, interactivity and effective use of online technology. Magazine of the YearTop honors go to the Magazine of the Year in our two circulation divisions: under 80,000 and 80,000 or more. Judging is based on five criteria:
Past winners include
Journalism That Matters AwardFor the first time in 2009, ASBPE presented a new honor: the Journalism That Matters Award. The award was inspired by ASBPE’s book of the same title, which features case studies of B2B journalists whose articles brought about change within their industries. Editors may nominate themselves or a deserving colleague. An entry form for the Journalism That Matters Award is included in the Azbees entry brochure. More about the Journalism That Matters Award. B2B Web Site of the YearEntries for the B2B Web Site of the Year category are judged on:
Past winners include
Multi-Platform Presentation of the YearThe Multi-Platform (Print and Digital) category recognizes the coordination of print and digital media packages in the presentation of a single topic. It honors excellence in coordinating print with digital platforms, e.g. Web sites, e-newsletters, blogs, Webinars, or podcasts. Judges examine:
Stephen Barr AwardThis “best in class” prize, which comes with a $500 cash award, goes to the individual writer whose work most reflects inventiveness of approach (and especially use of narrative style), insightfulness, balance in the presentation of a complex subject, depth of investigation, and impact among the community of readers. Those qualities are among the those exemplified by Stephen Barr, a perennial ASBPE excellence-award winner in his role as senior contributing editor of CFO magazine. Stephen died in 2002, at age 43. The award is endowed by his family. Past winners include:
Contest entrants don’t compete directly for the Barr Award. Rather, a panel of judges will select the “best in show” among the top feature-writing categories, identifying the finest example of writing that displays the qualities Barr’s work exemplified:
Lifetime Achievement AwardOur Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 2000 to recognize editors who have made significant and lasting contributions to our editorial profession and to the industries their magazines serve. Recipients have included:
To receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, a candidate must meet four requirements: 1) Significant
involvement (25 years or more) with business
publications. Nominees need not
currently hold editorial positions, and
may be retired, but ideally will have spent
the bulk of their careers in senior editorial
positions or will have served the industry
in some significant way. Nominees need
not be members of ASBPE. Past nominees
not selected in previous years are encouraged
to reapply. 2) A commitment to editorial excellence. This may be demonstrated by general reputation of their publication(s); industry-related awards (e.g., ASBPE Azbees, Neal Awards, Folio:, Tabbies); internal company awards; other forms of recognition or other valid measures of editorial success. 3) A commitment to the business/professional press. Nominees should be or should have been involved in lending their experience and time to benefit others in the business press. For example, this may be participation in local or national business press or related organizations; corporate or university teaching; mentoring programs; or significant research or publication of articles on business press issues. 4) A commitment to the industry(ies) the nominee’s publication(s) serve. Examples might include committee work with trade or professional associations or standards groups; frequent speaking engagements at industry events; significant research or publication of articles on industry issues; or significant advocacy work with government agencies. The Lifetime Achievement Award winner will receive the award on the evening of the awards banquet, where the honoree also will receive a special tribute and will deliver the keynote lecture. The winner’s name will be announced to the public prior to the banquet. A call for nominations goes out around the beginning of each year. Young Leaders ScholarshipTo help young editors who are just starting their careers, ASBPE started the annual Young Leaders Scholarship in 2001. The scholarship allows younger editors who might otherwise be unable to attend the ASBPE National Conference. It is open to all business editors, including print and Web. Scholarships pay the conference and hotel room costs for up to five U.S. applicants and two international editors per year. (U.S. applicants or their publishing companies are responsible for transportation to and from the conference, any nonconference meals, and other incurred costs; international winners get a stipend toward travel expenses.) Scholarship recipients also receive a free one-year membership to ASBPE if they are not already members. Qualifications for the scholarship include the following:
Get a nomination form for this year’s Young Leaders Scholarship (472K PDF). Tips on Winning AwardsWant to know how some publications manage to consistently take home multiple awards? You can increase your chances of earning awards — either in the Azbees or other competitions — by proper planning and entry selection. Learn how with our Tip Sheet, “Secrets to Winning Azbee Awards.” At a webinar in December, attendees got the inside scoop on how to win an Azbee award from top editors at Hanley Wood and IDG, which have garnered numerous editorial and design awards. The presentation included:
Presenters:
ASBPE members may download presenter Boyce Thompson’s slides:
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