Photo: Derby 2019 / by Mickie Winters
If you’ve yet to deplete your reserves of quarantine bourbon, pour a glass: The staff of Louisville Magazine wants to share a socially distanced drink as we celebrate winning two national awards.
Last night, during the livestream of the National City and Regional Magazine Awards (it was supposed to happen in Baltimore, but, you know, the pandemic), Louisville Magazine scored top prizes in two categories for publications of its circulation size: Feature Story (see “Cancer Sucks! The Story of Shirley’s Way,” by Jenni Laidman) and — cue sitcom applause track — General Excellence, which is the top CRMA award for a magazine of our circulation size in America. And we’ve got the plaque (or at least the screenshot) to prove it.
The magazine won its first CRMA award in 2016, when its much-anticipated annual Derby Issue came out on top in the Special Issue category. We had been nominated for General Excellence several times, but this is our first time taking home that prize. For our big win, judges highlighted the magazine’s “blend of strong writing, top-notch design and consistently relevant content” and praised us for having a “rhythm and distinctness that elevates it.”
D Magazine (from Dallas) and 5280 (from Denver) won the General Excellence prizes in their circulation categories. Cheers, friends! When quarantine is over, come visit Louisville. We’ll take you to the track.
Over 100 judges from a smattering of publications, as well as professors from the Missouri School of Journalism, selected the finalists. We thank them for their generous attention, and, of course, for their great taste. But seriously: We’re a small staff, always trying to punch above our weight, and this means a lot to us, especially in such a difficult time for journalism and the world.
If this all sounds mighty impressive, there’s a great way to support our work: Subscribe! We promise to bring you the best storytelling Louisville has to offer.
