NEW YORK — The biggest surprise at this year’s National Magazine Awards, held here Wednesday at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, came at the very end of the ceremony, when Condé Nast’s Glamour won the general excellence prize in the biggest circulation category, two million-plus.
Sports Illustrated was said to be the one to beat in that category. It was Glamour’s first general excellence win since 1991, and the first in any category for Cindi Leive, editor in chief since 2001.
Another Condé Nast title, The New Yorker, led all contenders, picking up five awards, including general excellence among titles with circulation of one million to two million, and the public interest award for Seymour Hersh’s series on the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib. “You don’t want to praise one of your children over another, but this story had enormous importance for the country that dwarfs any award,” editor David Remnick said after the ceremony, which was sponsored by the American Society of Magazine Editors. The weekly went into the competition with 10 nominations in nine categories and also won awards for reporting, reviews and criticism and profile writing.
Remnick, throughout his numerous trips to the podium, seemed to be conscious of altering his image, though. The first time, he had his glasses on; the second time, they were off; the third time, they were on, and the last two times, they were off.
Vanity Fair had appeared just as poised for success with seven nominations, but ended up getting shut out. That was largely thanks to The New Yorker, which took three of the four categories in which both titles were nominated. (The other, columns and commentary, went to National Journal.)
The New Yorker’s near-sweep even lent itself to the biggest laugh of the afternoon, when Esquire editor in chief David Granger, accepting the award for feature writing, remarked, “First, I’d like to thank David Remnick for not being up here.” It was the only win for Esquire and its parent, Hearst, this year.
Overall, Condé Nast won nine awards, including Style.com’s win for general excellence online. (Glamour, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Style.com and Condé Nast are, like WWD, divisions of Advance Publications Inc.) Time Inc. bagged four awards, and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia received two.
Related Articles
You May Also Like
Stewart herself took the stage, with Martha Stewart Weddings editorial director Darcy Miller —and won a large round of applause — after the magazine won for general excellence, 250,000 to 500,000 circulation, saying, “My favorite parts, of course, are the flowers and cakes.” Stewart was wearing pants, so it was hard to see whether she had her electronic anklet on — and it was a subject that stirred much speculation. Stewart’s other win was for design, for “Kids: Fun Stuff to Do Together.”
While flowers and cakes are sure to be circulating in the days ahead, winners had other ways of celebrating Wednesday afternoon. Back at the offices of Popular Science, which received the new award for best section, the staff passed around a bottle of Patrón tequila. Glamour’s staff mixed up margaritas, although Leive, who is eight months pregnant, presumably took hers virgin. CondéNet editorial director Jamie Pallot said he was going out to lunch, having, like many of his fellow attendees, left his cold salmon over salad untouched. (Hunger apparently wasn’t an issue for Vanity Fair’s Graydon Carter: He reportedly smuggled a sandwich into the awards.)
Dwell editor in chief Allison Arieff said she had done some celebrating beforehand, holding a cocktail party in San Francisco with several other finalists based there after nominations were announced. San Francisco was the best-represented city next to publishing capital New York this year, with nominations for ReadyMade, The Believer, Wired and San Francisco magazine.
Instead of partying, Arieff was more concerned about transporting her pointy, metal general excellence Ellie back home. “It will be kind of funny trying to get this past airport security,” she said.