Early this year, the MPA announced that it was making some big changes to its annual awards, with a new name, a few new categories and a new judging process. Those changes have led to an almost 40 percent increase in entry numbers and as far as the finalists go, Bauer is on top with 46, followed by Tangible Media with 25, Fairfax with 19 and Kowhai Media with 10.
The magazine of the year category is split into six categories, with each of the category winners then going on to fight it out for the top honour, Magazine of the Year. Woman’s Day took that out last year, and it’s back again as a finalist, alongside another Bauer title, Woman’s Weekly, in the mass market women’s category. New Zealand Weddings, NZ Rugby World and OHbaby! are finalists in consumer special interest; Metro, New Zealand Geographic and North & South are finalists in current affairs & business: Dish, Healthy Food Guide and NZ House & Garden are finalists in home & food; PRO Photographer, Wares Magazine and NZ Marketing and StopPress (we’re blushing) are finalists in industry & trade: and Good, NEXT and NZ Life & Leisure are finalists in lifestyle.
In an effort to reference the way magazines are moving off the page and how the commercial models are evolving, there were four new categories this year, many of them of relevance to the marcomms industry.
In the best owned media/custom publishing brand, Resene’s Habitat by Tangible Media, Air New Zealand’s KiaOra by Bauer Media and Asaleo Care’s Little Treasures by Tangible Media made the grade.
Another new category, best brand community/extensions, saw Dish digital & social media extensions, the New Zealand Geographic Archive, NZ House & Garden’s magazine/tours/awards/website/movies/social media and OHbaby! Magazine named as finalists.
The best sales solution finalists are Griffins: Huntley & Palmers Flatbread, Bauer Media Collective, Taste/Your Home and Garden/Woman’s Day/The Australian Women’s Weekly/NZ Woman’s Weekly; Tourism Australia/OMD NZ, Tangible Media Content Marketing, Dish (Savouring Australia); and Unilever – Persil, Anna Magasiva/Kaylene Hurley, Woman’s Day.
The best retail subscription campaign finalists are Bauer’s Christmas 2014: Be in to win a Suzuki & 10 $500 Countdown Vouchers, Group Campaign; Centenary Poppy Project, NZ Gardener; and Little Shop, Woman’s Day.
In the best publishing innovation category, Idealog has two finalists—Idealog Pitch Circus and executive leadership brand The Briefing. Ziera Magazine & App by NEXT was the other finalist.
And the finalists in the advertising sales excellence awards will be familiar names to many clients and agencies.
Consumer
Alison Shrigley, New Zealand Gardener
Maddie Thomas, Your Home and Garden
Stuart Dick/Liezl Hipkins, HOME
Current Affairs & Business
Miles Gandy, New Zealand Geographic/PRO Photographer/Time
Stuart Dick/Matt Smith/Krista Rostenberg, KiaOra
Vernene Medcalf, NZ Marketing/StopPress
Pip Elliott, who was recently appointed as the MPA’s executive director after departing Roy Morgan, says the awards were set up to inspire excellence and the updated name—Magazine Media Awards—and the 44 award categories “reflect the ever-evolving role of magazines and the diversity of magazine media offerings”.
A team of more than 50 industry leaders were selected as judges and Kim Mundell, director of Mandeville Limited, returned to the role of judging convener. As opposed to previous years, Elliot says it tried to get judges who were either working in the industry or had a deep understanding of the industry and the changes currently taking place so that the right winners were picked.
The finalists:
Best Magazine
Awarded to a magazine that demonstrates consistent all-round publishing excellence and engagement with its community. The entry must demonstrate that the magazine is a commercially sound publication. The winner of each category becomes a finalist for Magazine of the Year.
The six categories for this award are Consumer Special Interest, Current Affairs & Business, Home & Food, Industry & Trade, Lifestyle and Mass Market Women’s.
Consumer Special Interest
New Zealand Weddings
NZ Rugby World
OHbaby!
Current Affairs & Business
Metro
New Zealand Geographic
North & South
Home & Food
Dish
Healthy Food Guide
NZ House & Garden
Industry & Trade
PRO Photographer
Wares Magazine
NZ Marketing and StopPress
Lifestyle
Good
NEXT
NZ Life & Leisure
Mass Market Women’s
NZ Woman’s Weekly
Woman’s Day
Best Editor
Awarded to the industry’s best magazine editor for their individual enterprise and performance in achieving outstanding success for their magazine. The nominee must have been editor of the magazine for at least six months and must have been editor of the two issues submitted. The winner of each category becomes a finalist for Editor of the Year.
The six categories for this award are Consumer Special Interest, Current Affairs & Business, Home & Food, Industry & Trade, Lifestyle and Mass Market Women’s.
Consumer Special Interest
Gregor Paul, NZ Rugby World
Leonie Haydon, Mana
Melissa Gardi, New Zealand Weddings
Current Affairs & Business
Nikki Mandow, Idealog
Pamela Stirling, New Zealand Listener
Virginia Larson, North & South
Home & Food
Lisa Morton, Dish
Jeremy Hansen, HOME
Sally Duggan, NZ House and Garden
Shelley Ferguson, Your Home and Garden
Industry & Trade
Ben Fahy, NZ Marketing/StopPress
Rebekah White, PRO Photographer
Steve Bohling, Wares Magazine
Lifestyle
Kate Coughlan, NZ Life & Leisure
Nadene Hall, NZ Lifestyle Block
Sarah Henry, NEXT
Mass Market Women’s
Fiona Fraser, New Zealand Woman’s Weekly
Sido Kitchin, Woman’s Day
Best Designer
Awarded to a designer that demonstrates excellence in magazine design. (The entrant must be the lead Designer or Art Director of the magazine.)
The six categories for this award are Consumer Special Interest, Current Affairs & Business, Home & Food, Industry & Trade, Lifestyle and Mass Market Women’s.
Consumer Special Interest
Alanna Dennis, OHbaby!
Julian Pettitt, NZ Fishing World
Marc Backwell, Mana
Current Affairs & Business
Jenny Nicholls, North & South
Marc Backwell, New Zealand Geographic
Matt Moss, Idealog
Home & Food
Fiona Kerr, Dish
Fiona Lascelles, Cuisine
Tanya Wong, Your Home and Garden
Industry & Trade
Andre Kini, Interior
Andre Kini, Landscape Architecture NZ
Marc Backwell, PRO Photographer
Lifestyle
Louise Thomson NEXT
Tracey Ellin, Good
Yolanta Woldendorp, NZ Life & Leisure
Mass Market Women’s
Bela Trussell-Cullen, New Idea
Mirella Monteiro, Woman’s Day
Best Cover
Awarded to the best example of a magazine cover within each category.
The six categories for this award are Consumer Special Interest, Current Affairs & Business, Home & Food, Industry & Trade, Lifestyle and Mass Market Women’s.
Consumer Special Interest
Mana
NZ Autocar
NZ Fishing World
Current Affairs & Business
Idealog
Metro
North & South
Home & Food
Dish
HOME
NZ Gardener
Industry & Trade
Architecture New Zealand
BeautyNZ
NZ Marketing and StopPress
Lifestyle
Good
NEXT
NZ Life & Leisure
Mass Market Women’s
CLEO
The Australian Women’s Weekly
Woman’s Day
Best Journalist
Awarded to the magazine feature writer or freelance writer who excels in producing articles that have impact, are thoughtful and inspire the magazine’s readers. (Can be entered by one journalist using examples from several titles; or by the publisher of one title with multiple articles from one journalist. Journalists entering on their own behalf may submit work from a range of publishers, however the stories must all fit the same category. Editors are eligible for this award however editorials are not.)
The six categories for this award are Consumer Special Interest, Current Affairs & Business, Home & Food, Industry & Trade, Lifestyle and Mass Market Women’s.
Consumer Special Interest
Rebecca Hayter, Boating New Zealand
Matt Philp, Heritage New Zealand
Matthew Pike, Wilderness
Current Affairs & Business
Donna Chisholm, North & South/Metro
Joanna Wane, North & South
Mike White, North & South
Industry & Trade
No finalists
Home & Food
David Burton, Cuisine
Jeremy Hansen, HOME
Sue Allison, NZ House & Garden
Lifestyle
Jane Warwick, NZ Life & Leisure
Rachael Russell, NEXT
Mass Market Women’s
Kasia Jillings, New Idea
Nicola Russel,l The Australian Women’s Weekly
Suzanne McFadden, The Australian Women’s Weekly
Best Columnist
Awarded to the writer of a regular section or column in a magazine, e-letter, regular blogs, magazine website or digital edition, who espouses a point of view that may include personal reflection, editorial opinion, and humour, with relevance to the target audience. (Can be entered by one columnist using examples from several titles; or by the publisher of one title with multiple columns from one writer. Columnist entering on their own behalf may submit work from a range of publishers however the stories must all fit the same category. Editorials are not eligible for this award.)
The two categories for this award are Consumer and Current Affairs & Business.
Consumer
Deborah Hill Cone, NEXT
Niki Bezzant, Healthy Food Guide
Sarah Quigley, NEXT
Current Affairs & Business
Diana Wichtel, New Zealand Listener
Jane Clifton, New Zealand Listener
Matthew Hooton, Metro
Best Photographer
Awarded to the best example of a photographic portfolio. Can be entered by the photographer or a magazine publisher.
The two categories for this award are Consumer and Current Affairs & Business.
Consumer
Aaron McLean, Cuisine
Carolyn Haslett, New Zealand Weddings
Jane Ussher, NZ House & Garden
Current Affairs & Business
Adrian Malloch, North & South
Richard Robinson, New Zealand Geographic
Simon Young, Metro
Advertising Sales Excellence
Awarded to the sales person or sales team for their performance in achieving success for their magazine.
The two categories for this award are Consumer and Current Affairs & Business.
Consumer
Alison Shrigley, New Zealand Gardener
Maddie Thomas, Your Home and Garden
Stuart Dick/Liezl Hipkins, HOME
Current Affairs & Business
Miles Gandy, New Zealand Geographic/PRO Photographer/Time
Stuart Dick/Matt Smith/Krista Rostenberg, KiaOra
Vernene Medcalf, NZ Marketing/StopPress
Best Sales Solution
Awarded to the best example of an advertisingsponsorship pitch for magazine brand(s).
Griffins: Huntley & Palmers Flatbread, Bauer Media Collective, Taste/Your Home and Garden/Woman’s Day/The Australian Women’s Weekly/NZ Woman’s Weekly
Tourism Australia/OMD NZ, Tangible Media Content Marketing, Dish (Savouring Australia)
Unilever – Persil, Anna Magasiva/Kaylene Hurley, Woman’s Day
Best Retail/Subscription Campaign
Awarded to the best marketing campaign or activation to promote a magazine brand(s) at retail or for subscription sales.
Christmas 2014: Be in to win a Suzuki & 10 $500 Countdown Vouchers, Group Campaign: All Bauer Titles
Centenary Poppy Project, NZ Gardener
Little Shop, Woman’s Day
Best Owned Media/Custom Publishing Brand
Awarded to a magazine that demonstrates consistent all-round publishing excellence and engagement with its community as part of a clients owned media strategy. Magazines eligible for this category are those created and published exclusively for and owned by a client company, brand or association
Habitat, Tangible Media
KiaOra, Bauer Media
Little Treasures, Tangible Media
Best Brand Community/Extension(s)
Awarded to the best example of a magazine brand extended beyond the page to connect with audiences via multi-channel touch points.
Dish digital & social media extensions, Dish
New Zealand Geographic Archive, Discover New Zealand Geographic
NZ House & Garden Magazine/tours/awards/website/movies/social media, NZ House & Garden
OHbaby!, OHbaby! Magazine
Best Publishing Innovation
Awarded to a new initiative that demonstrates innovative thinking and execution for a magazine brand or brands. This could be experiential, digital (including social) or physical or a combination. It could be based on audience or advertiser growth or both.
Idealog Pitch Circus, Idealog
The Briefing, Idealog
Ziera Magazine & App, NEXT
