‘COSMOS’ takes out top gong at 2009 Excellence Awards.
SYDNEY: The Publishers Australia Excellence Awards – Bell ’09 acknowledges the talent, expertise and outstanding achievements over the past 12 months for publications across Australia. And the top award, ‘Magazine of the Year’, went to Luna Media’s popular science title, COSMOS magazine.
The award recipients of the top gong were Kylie Ahern (Publisher), Alan Finkel (Executive Publisher), Wilson da Silva (Editor-in-Chief), John Pickrell (Editor), and Jacqui Hayes (Assistant Editor).
The Australian print magazine and digital media publishing industry’s only credible association-backed awards event was staged at the new Doltone House Darling Island Wharf in Sydney today with 500 guests in attendance.
As the only association-endorsed awards program for the magazine and digital publishing industry, the Publishers Australia ‘Excellence Awards’ is the only truly credible awards program in Australia today. We are totally impartial and removed from commercial imperatives, and focused only on acknowledging the industry’s brightest minds and most impressive practitioners.
Many Publishers Australia members have ABC and CAB audited titles, which further highlights the industry’s high regard for accountability, and reinforces the notion that these awards are true indicators of excellence, not just an awards vehicle.
Hosted by noted broadcaster and author of work-life balance book ‘How to Balance Your Life’, James O’Loghlin, the big awards day was staged on the foreshores of Sydney Harbour, with fabulous live entertainment from three piece combo, Venus Music, and spectacular audio visual treatments courtesy of the creative wizards at TLS.
In addition to winners across 25 categories, the Board of Directors awarded life memberships to three long-time publishing innovators, Bruce Roff, John Blondin, and Adrian Farrow. Blondin, CEO of Media Titles, was also the recipient of the inaugural Pinnacle Award for truly outstanding achievement.
As for COSMOS, the judges were impressed with how the title “displayed a commitment to publishing excellence and innovation…was clever in re-mediating its content outside of the traditional magazine format, embraced innovative ways of marketing itself to its readers, including the use of relevant social media and cause marketing… was able to demonstrate success on metrics including subscriptions, readership audit, and engagement… and was clearly connecting with its readership community.”
This year, Luna Media was light-years ahead of the pack in the trophy count, and the overall quality of their magazine was on display in the number and type of awards that they won. The title itself or individuals employed by the company, picked up 5 Winner trophies and a Highly Commended certificate, across the categories listed below.
Winner: COSMOS, Luna Media.
Magazine of the Year.
Category 2 - Best Consumer magazine.
Category 6 Best Small Publisher.
Category 12 Best Analytical Writing John Pickrell.
Category 14 Best Digital Engagement Strategy.
Highly Commended: COSMOS, Luna Media.
Category 11 New Journalist of the Year Jacqueline Hayes.
The major winners in addition to Luna Media’s COSMOS Magazine were The Intermedia Group’s ‘Professional Beauty’ for ‘B2B Magazine of the Year’ (for the second year in a row); ‘NETT Magazine’ from He Said She Said Communications took out best custom magazine, Best Digital Only Publication went to Sproog Media’s ‘The Overclocker’; and Brett Winterford of Haymarket Media’s ‘iT News’ picked up the highly coveted ‘Editor of the Year’ award.
This year’s panel of judges was hand-picked in each category for their specialist expertise in addition to their capacity to evaluate submissions to the highest level of professionalism. The judges reported that the level of innovation and overall standard of entries had risen this year and Publishers Australia CEO, Alan Sarkissian believes it points to smarter thinking in the face of challenging circumstances.
“There has been a noticeable increase across the 3 “R’s”, being relevance, resonance and reader engagement,” said Sarkissian. “And the overall level of quality is not only inspiring, but continues to raise the benchmark for the entire industry.”
The complete list of Winners, Runner Ups’ and Highly Commended’s is listed below:
Magazine of the Year
Winner: Cosmos Magazine, Luna Media.
Category 1 B2B Magazine of the Year
Winner: Professional Beauty – The Intermedia Group
Runner up: ‘Nett’ Magazine – He Said She Said Communications
Highly Commended: Sold Magazine – GASP Media
Category 2 Consumer Magazine of the Year
Winner: Cosmos Magazine – Luna Media
Runner up: Australian Road Rider’s Cruiser & Trike – Universal Magazines
Highly Commended: Selector Magazine – Australian Wine Selectors
Highly Commended: Runner's World Magazine, Australia & New Zealand – Dingoes Refrain
Category 3 Custom Magazine of the Year
Winner: ‘Nett’ Magazine – He Said She Said Communications
Runner up: Mercedes Magazine – Hardie Grant Magazines
Category 4 Digital-only Publication of the Year
Winner: ‘The Overclocker – Sproog Media
Category 5a Best magazine Launch
Winner: The Week – Dennis Publishing
Runner up: Australian Advanced Aesthetics magazine – The Intermedia Group
Category 5b Best magazine Relaunch
Winner: Spice Magazine – The Intermedia Group
Runner up: Dogs NSW Magazine – Mahlab Media
Category 6 Best Small Publisher
Winner: Luna Media
Runner up: T-World
Category 7 Best annual printed publication
Winner: UDIA 2009 – The Magazine Publishing Company
Runner up: Wellbeing Food – Universal Magazines
Highly Commended: Outdoor Design Source – Universal Magazines
Category 8 Best Print and Media Integration
Winner: Four Four Two magazine – Haymarket Media
Runner up: ‘Voice&Data Magazine +eMag’ – Westwick-Farrow Media
Category 9 Editor of the Year
Winner: Brett Winterford, ‘iT News’ – Haymarket Media
Runner up: Rob Johnson, Editor of ‘Next’, ‘Smile’, ‘Bite’, Broadway’, and ‘Restaurant & Catering’ magazines – Engage Media
Highly Commended: Lisa Holmes, Runners World magazine Australia & New Zealand – Dingoes Refrain Publishing
Highly Commended: Mark Hughes, Selector Magazine – Australian Wine Selectors
Category 10 Journalist of the Year
Winner: Zoe Lyon – Lawyers Weekly, LexisNexis Media
Runner up: Trevor Treharne – Four Four Two magazine, Haymarket Media
Category 11 New Journalist of the Year
Winner: Paul Rodger – The Open Road, NRMA Publishing
Runner up: Jeff Megahan - Club Marine Magazine
Highly Commended: Jacqueline Hayes – Cosmos magazine, Luna Media
Category 12 Best Analytical Writing
Winner: Luna Media – Cosmos Magazine, Luna Media
Runner up: Harriet Morely – Runners World Magazine Australia & New Zealand, Dingoes Refrain
Category 13 Best Integrated Media Advertisement or Campaign
Winner: DMAG – SmartyPantz Communications
Runner up: What's New In Process Technology magazine – Westwick-Farrow Media
Category 14 Best Digital Engagement Strategy
Winner: Cosmos Magazine – Luna Media
Category 15 Most successful subscriptions campaign
Winner: Australian Road Rider’s Cruiser & Trike – Universal Magazines
Runner up: Westwick-Farrow Media magazines
** Designer of the Year
Winner: Kelley Sheenan – Peppermint magazine
Category 16 Best Designer – B2B
Winner: Loni Parker – The Magazine Publishing Company.
Category 17 Best Designer – Consumer
Winner: Kelley Sheenan – Peppermint magazine.
Category 18 Best Designer – Custom Media
Winner: The design team at: The Open Road, NRMA Publishing
Category 20 Best Customer Magazine Cover
Winner: Craig Hodges and Georgina Armour – ‘Private Word’ (NAB), Edge Custom Media
Runner up: Stephen Dibden – Australian Classic Car, NRMA Publishing
Highly Commended: Alys Martin – Lawyers Weekly, LexisNexis Media
Highly Commended: Eddie Zammit – T-world
Category 21 Innovation in Distribution
Highly Commended: Sproog Media
Category 22 Sustainability in publishing
Winner: Kelley Sheenan – Peppermint magazine.
Board awarded ‘The Pinnacle Award’
Winner: John Blondin – CEO, Media Titles
For more information contact the CEO of Publishers Australia, Alan Sarkissian.
Phone: 02 9958 2722. Mobile: 0414 234 299.
