The National Media Awards Foundation (NMAF) is a Canadian charity whose mission is to recognize excellence in the content and creation of Canadian magazines and Canadian digital publishing through two annual awards programs: the National Magazine Awards (NMAs) and the Digital Publishing Awards (DPAs). Both events—The National Magazine Awards gala and the Digital Publishing Awards soirée—take place each June in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. Each year the NMAF relies on over 100 volunteer judges to evaluate the entries and award gold and silver winners in the NMA written, visual, integrated and special categories and in the various DPA categories. A 20-member board of directors mostly drawn from the Canadian media industry governs the NMAF. As of 2022, the president of the board of directors of the NMAF is Melony Ward, publisher of ''Canada’s History'' and ''Kayak''.

History

In 1976 Andrew MacFarlane, Dean of Journalism at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames R ...

(UWO), was trying to revive the university's recently defunct President's Medal for Canadian Magazine Journalism. His original idea was to create a new award divided into English and French counterparts. But MacFarlane eventually developed a proposal for a series of magazine awards, whose salient features were that the program would be bilingual – and therefore truly national – and would recognize individual excellence in the many aspects of the magazine industry – writers, illustrators, editors, photographers and

art directors Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of what ...

. MacFarlane together with John S. Crosbie, president of the Magazine Association of Canada, secured the participation of the Canadian Periodical Publishers Association (CPPA), representing 193 Canadian magazines, and CPPA's former president Michael de Pencier. MacFarlane reached out to his counterpart at

Université Laval Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Montm ...

, Roger de la Garde, Alan Edmunds, head of the Periodical Writers Association of Canada ( PWAC), and veteran newsman

Pierre Berton Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton, CC, O.Ont. (July 12, 1920 – November 30, 2004) was a Canadian writer, journalist and broadcaster. Berton wrote 50 best-selling books, mainly about Canadiana, Canadian history and popular culture. He also wr ...

, among others. As the collective effort began to take shape across the country, by the spring of 1977 the National Magazine Awards had developed a clear mandate. On 14 November 1977, National Magazine Awards Foundation received its charter of non-profit foundation status from the

Government of Ontario The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor� ...

. In 2015, the NMAF established the Digital Publishing Awards, to promote and reward the achievements of those who create digital publishing content in Canada. The National Magazine Awards celebrated 40 years of awarding Canadian creators in 2017. The 40th anniversary event was co-hosted by Kim Pittaway, Michael de Pencier, and D.B. Scott. Alicia Elliott delivered the keynote address. AS of 2022, the National Media Awards have been given to journalists, illustrators and photographers for 45 years.

First awards

There were more than 1300 entries to the first National Magazine Awards for the year 1977. 62 judges evaluated the entries and awarded winners in 14 categories. The first National Magazine Awards gala was held on Thursday, 11 May 1978 at the Hotel Toronto. Pierre Berton emceed the event, where the 660 guests dined and danced to Jack Collins and his five-piece band. Before presenting the awards, Berton proclaimed to the audience, "In a bold departure from tradition, there are to be no thank you speeches. We can do that because we are giving money, not some cheap statuette." If any winner started to talk on stage, Berton reportedly waved a large hook in the speaker's direction. Awards were handed down in 14 categories (with separate French- and English-language winners for the President's Award for General Magazine Articles). 11 different magazines won awards. The NMAF also honoured outstanding achievement by a magazine:

L'actualité ''L'actualité'' is a Canadian French-language news and general interest magazine published in Montreal by Rogers Communications until 2016, then by Mishmash (XPND Capital). The magazine has over a million readers, according to Canada's Print Measu ...

(French) and Harrowsmith (English) took the awards.

Major winners of the National Magazine Awards

The now-defunct '' Saturday Night'' is the all-time leader in awards, with 129 gold awards. ''

Toronto Life ''Toronto Life'' is a monthly magazine about entertainment, politics and life in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ''Toronto Life'' also publishes a number of annual special interest guides about the city, including ''Real Estate'', ''Stylebook'', ''Eatin ...

'' magazine leads all current publications with 108 gold awards. Writer Robert Fulford is the all-time individual leader with 14 gold awards. The NMAF also maintains
searchable archive
of all past winners an
tallies
of magazines and creators who have won the most National Magazine Awards.

Magazine of the Year

Each year the National Magazine Awards concludes with the naming of Canada's Magazine of the Year. Previous winners are: *1982: ''

Equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" and se ...

'' *1983: ''

Vancouver Magazine ''Vancouver Magazine'' is an English-language lifestyle magazine focused on Vancouver, British Columbia and the Lower Mainland. ''Vancouver Magazine'' describes its mission as informing, guiding and entertaining residents of a "dynamic, intern ...

'' *1984: '' Saturday Night'' *1985: ''

'' *1986: ''

Quill & Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

'' *1987: '' Report on Business Magazine'' *1988: '' Applied Arts Quarterly'' *1989: ''

'' *1990: '' West Magazine'' *1991: ''

Idler The Idler refers to someone idle: * An idle game * A slacker, a person who habitually avoids work * Idler-wheel, a system used to transmit the rotation of the main shaft of a motor to another rotating device * Idler circuit, a circuit in a parame ...

'' *1992: ''

Cottage Life ''Cottage Life'' is a Canadian magazine focusing on cottage lifestyle content. First published in the summer of 1988, the publication features how-to articles, buying guides, and tips on aspects of cottage living and lifestyle. Formally published ...

'' *1993: '' Owl'' and Chickadee'' *1994: '' Canadian Art'' *1995: '' Canadian House & Home'' *1996: ''

Canadian Living ''Canadian Living'' is a monthly Canadian lifestyle magazine, which publishes articles relating to food, fashion, crafts, and health and family advice. History and profile The magazine was created by Clem Compton-Smith and his business partner, ...

'' *1997: ''

'' *1998: ''

Adbusters The Adbusters Media Foundation is a Canadian-based not-for-profit, pro-environment organization founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz in Vancouver, British Columbia. Adbusters describes itself as "a global network of artists, activis ...

'' *1999: ''

Chatelaine Chatelaine may refer to: * Chatelaine (chain), a set of short chains on a belt worn by women and men for carrying keys, thimble and/or sewing kit, etc. * Chatelaine (horse), a racehorse * ''Chatelaine'' (magazine), an English-language Canadian wo ...

'' *2000: '' Azure'' *2001: '' Canadian Geographic'' *2002: ''

Outpost Magazine ''Outpost Magazine'' is a Canadian adventure-travel publication based out of Toronto, Ontario. Published six times a year, it is known for its longform adventure narratives from across the world, often with a Canadian perspective. History The f ...

'' *2003: '' Border Crossings'' *2004: '' Maisonneuve'' *2005: ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian pers ...

'' *2006: ''

The Walrus ''The Walrus'' is an independent, non-profit Canadian media organization. It is multi-platform and produces an 8-issue-per-year magazine and online editorial content that includes current affairs, fiction, poetry, and podcasts, a national s ...

'' *2007: ''

'' *2008: '' AlbertaViews'' *2009: '' Up Here'' *2010: '' MoneySense'' *2011: '' Maisonneuve'' *2012: ''

Corporate Knights Corporate Knights is a media and research company based in Toronto, Canada, focused on advancing a sustainable economy. The company publishes an award-winning magazine,  ''Corporate Knights'', and produces global rankings, research reports, a ...

'' *2013: ''

'' *2014: '' Nouveau Projet'' *2015:'' Maisonneuve'' *2016: ''

Outstanding Achievement

Each year since 1990 the NMAF has awarded the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement, which recognizes an individual's innovation and creativity through contributions to the Canadian magazine industry. The winners since 1990 are: *1990 Prue Hemelrijk *1991 Michael de Pencier *1992 Lloyd Hodgkinson *1993 Barbara Moon *1994 Don Obe *1995 Jean Paré *1996 Catherine Keachie *1997 James Ireland *1998 Robert Fulford *1999 Lynn Cunningham *2000

Peter C. Newman Peter Charles Newman (born May 10, 1929) is a Canadian journalist and writer. Life and career Born in Vienna, Austria, Newman emigrated from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to Canada in 1940 as a Jewish refugee. His parents were Wanda Maria and ...

*2001 Ken Rodmell *2002 Al Zikovitz *2003 Sally Armstrong *2004 Paul Jones *2005 John Macfarlane *2006 Neville Gilfoy *2007 Charles Oberdorf *2008 Cynthia Brouse *2009 Terry Sellwood *2010 D.B. Scott *2011 Heather Robertson *2012 Stephen Trumper *2013 Kim Jernigan *2014 Michael Fox *2015 Kim Pittaway *2016 Penny Caldwell

Other information

The submissions process for the National Magazine Awards is generally open from December until the second week of January. Nominations are announced in the spring, and the awards gala is held in June in Toronto.

References

External links

National Magazine Awards
{{Authority control Canadian journalism awards Canadian non-fiction literary awards Literary awards for magazines Awards established in 1982 1982 establishments in Ontario