The Canadian Magazine Awards Announce Inaugural Magazine Grands Prix Winners

TORONTO, ON - The Canadian Magazine Awards / Grands prix du magazine are proud to announce the winners of the inaugural Magazine Grands Prix, which were presented at an awards dinner and fete at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto on April 27.

The Kit Compact was named the magazine of the year, winning the night's top honour, the "Magazine Grand Prix."

Winners of the eight magazine award categories, announced at the awards fete, competed for the Magazine Grand Prix. This award recognizes the Canadian magazine that delivers the best reader experience; that demonstrates overall excellence in bringing teams together to create a spectacular product; and is aspirational and inspiring, helping to take magazine media to the next level.

The Kit Compact was chosen from among the category winners by a panel of five judges, including the awards' judging co-chairs Stanley Pean and Soraya Peerbaye.

"The Kit Compact proposes a fresh, feminist vision of the fashion magazine, foregrounding the female body as a site of knowledge, curiosity, resistance, and joy," wrote Peerbaye.

"This is a magazine that sees Canadian women not as consumers, but as creators and re-creators of culture. The Kit defines a spectrum of ideals that goes far beyond norms of beauty, to hold a multiplicity of notions on the body, identity and community, celebrating both independence and interdependence."

Carole Beaulieu accepted the second honour of the evening, the "Editor Grand Prix," for her work at Quebec current affairs magazine L'actualite. This award acknowledges the editor who best upholds their magazine's integrity, heightens its influence and actively cultivates the next generation of contributors through their leadership and mentorship.

The judges were impressed by L'actualite's "dazzling range, unarguable influence and unwavering discernment" under Beaulieu's editorship: "She has encouraged and showcased an entire generation of journalists while demonstrating that the general interest magazine remains as vital as ever when it clarifies not only the past and present but also the future."

In addition to the Magazine Grand Prix and the Editor Grand Prix, four other awards were presented in the "Grands Prix" categories, honouring broad achievement in videography, motion graphics and multi-platform treatment as well as the contributions of writers, photographers, illustrators, editors and art directors.

• The Grand Prix for Best Art Direction of an Entire Issue was awarded to Carey van der Zalm for excellence and innovation in visual design and style for her work on The Site Magazine's Volume 35: Borders.
  From the judges: "The Site Magazine is an independent journal for architecture and urbanism. In its inaugural issue exploring the concept of Borders this publication provides a fascinating glimpse at painting the ordinary as extraordinary. It is filled with stunning photos, which add to the depth and colour of the stories presented and to the imagination of its readers."

• The Grand Prix for Best Multi-Platform Story Treatment was awarded to Maclean's for using multiple platforms to engage readers and increase the impact of Michael Friscolanti's story about a group of Canadians who sponsored a Syrian refugee family, "Saving Family No. 417."
  From the judges: "With a very powerful and timely storyline, 'Saving Family No. 417' was a multi-platform story powerhouse that truly reached audiences across multiple channels. With compelling text, video and social content, Maclean's was able to drive strong multi-platform results across owned and third-party channels. Excellent treatment crucially important topic wide reaching."

• The Grand Prix for Best Multi-Platform Magazine Brand was awarded to Cottage Life for the magazine's use of technology to enhance its identity; its commitment to engaging and expanding its relationship with readers through multiple platforms; and how effectively it infuses its content with a recognizable brand.
  From the judges: "From social, print, web and video, to events, swag and products, Cottage Life is a true multi-platform brand. We have no doubt it is read and experienced as much on a mobile device in the city and on a web browser from work as it is from a coffee table of a Muskoka cottage."

• The Grand Prix for Best Cover, honouring excellence and innovation in design that heightens the impact of a magazine cover and helps it connect with and inform its audience, was awarded to FLARE for their August 2016 cover featuring Herieth Paul.
  From the judges: "The striking photo of model Herieth Paul on the cover of FLARE spoke to the jury, as it portrayed beauty, strength, poise and possibilities to women who are not traditionally seen as the beauty standard. Kudos!"

The inaugural Magazine Grands Prix awards fete was held in conjunction with MagNet: Canada's Magazine Conference, the premier event for Canada's magazine media. The awards presentation was hosted by esteemed journalist Sophie Durocher, with opening remarks from Candy Palmater, broadcaster, writer, comedian and film and TV producer.

Twenty-two Canadian magazines were honoured as finalists in eight award categories for Best Magazine, honouring "excellence in class" for Canadian creative and editorial teams in content, design and reader experience.

These eight Best Magazine award categories are rooted in how readers encounter and engage with magazines. Winners of the Best Magazine awards, announced and presented during the awards fete, competed for the final award of the evening, the Magazine Grand Prix.

Notably, two independent magazines that were launched in the last year won "best in class": Dinette Magazine and Hayo; and French-language nominees won three of the eight awards: Dinette Magazine, esse arts + opinions, and Quebec Science. The Kit Compact, winner of the Best Fashion and Beauty Magazine, went on to win the Magazine Grand Prix.

• Best General Interest Magazine: The Walrus

• Best Service and Lifestyle Magazine: Chatelaine

• Best Food and Beverage Magazine: Dinette Magazine

• Best Fashion and Beauty Magazine: The Kit Compact

• Best Home Design and Decor Magazine, including Gardening: Western Living

• Best Literature and Art Magazine, including Poetry: esse arts + opinions

• Best Science, Business and Politics Magazine: Quebec Science

• Best Niche/Special Interest Magazine: Hayo

Also honoured was the recipient of the inaugural Magazine Grands Prix Fellowship, Calgary journalist Laura Stewart. The Fellowship program is a key component of the Magazine Grands Prix's commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity in the Canadian magazine industry, and matches an emerging magazine talent with a Canadian host magazine to work on stories that explore in depth the issues of importance to Canadians. Stewart has elected to work at Briarpatch, a cultural magazine based in Regina that is committed to journalism and critical commentary.

More than 350 Canadian magazine creators, editors and publishers attended the Magazine Grands Prix awards fete. Forty-nine individual creators were honoured as finalists in 11 award categories for Best Story and Best Art, recognizing originality, storytelling and impact in Canadian magazine content.

The winners for Best Story and Best Art mark the meaningful contributions of Canadian creators to our national conversation on both popular and critical culture. Emmanuelle Martinez-Curvalle's article about transgender, gender neutral and non-binary models and creators in the fashion industry, "La confusion des genres," won Best Fashion and Beauty Story of the year. Nancy Macdonald's investigative journalism in "Justice is Not Blind" balanced quantitative and qualitative reporting to reveal the human cost of racism in Canada's justice system, and won Best Science, Business and Politics Story. Byron Eggenschwiler's editorial illustration "Astronaut Wives" is a touching and intriguing work of art that sets the tone for a story about Chinese spouses in Vancouver whose partners have returned to China. It won Best Illustration.

Of note: The late John Hofsess' powerful story about assisted suicide and death with dignity, "By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead," was honoured as the Best General Interest Story of the year. It was accepted on his behalf by Toronto Life's Emily Landau. From the judges: "A unique perspective on a topical subject, written in the first person, which forces us to rethink our prejudices about death. Courageous, touching and deeply human."

• Best General Interest Story: John Hofsess, "By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead," Toronto Life

• Best Service and Lifestyle Story: Jean Grant, Malcolm Johnston, Rebecca Philps, Mark Pupo, Caroline Youdan, "The Big Smoke," Toronto Life

• Best Food and Beverage Story: Amy Rosen, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Calisson," enRoute

• Best Fashion and Beauty Story: Emmanuelle Martinez-Curvalle, "La confusion des genres," ELLE Quebec

• Best Home Design and Decor Story, including Gardening: Hedvig Alexander, John Baker, Arren Williams, "Travel by Design," Globe Style Advisor

• Best Entertainment and Celebrities Story: Omar Mouallem, "The Fight of His Life," Avenue Calgary

• Best Literature and Art Story, including Poetry: M. Bayless, "So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish," EVENT

• Best Science, Business and Politics Story: Nancy Macdonald, "Justice is Not Blind," Maclean's

• Best Niche/Special Interest Story: Graham Candy, YuYang Liu, "Winning and Losing in Modern China," Peeps

• Best Feature Photography or Videography: Matt Barnes, "Laces of Death," Sharp: The Book for Men

• Best Illustration or Motion Graphics: Byron Eggenschwiler, "Astronaut Wives," Vancouver Magazine

The Magazine Grands Prix honour the very best in Canadian magazine journalism and design. The inaugural awards were open to work published in a Canadian magazine in 2016. The finalists reflected the sector's range and excellence with nominations from Canadian magazines large and small; niche, specialty and general interest; local, regional and national.

The 2017 Magazine Grands Prix featured 13 awards for individual creators and 12 for magazines which honour creative and editorial vision and execution. Winning stories and art in the individual award categories receive $1,000 and are commemorated with a distinctive keepsake crafted by Pierre Bouchard, a glass artist based in Prince Edward County.

Visit maggrandsprix.ca/awards for a complete list of finalists, winners and judges for each award.

A diverse panel of 40 judges, co-chaired by Stanley Pean and Soraya Peerbaye, selected the 2017 awards shortlist and winners based on a set of guiding principles for adjudicating and celebrating excellence in Canada's magazine media, centered on the values of diversity, inclusivity, transparency and accountability. The full list of judges was announced during the submissions process at maggrandsprix.ca/judges.

The Canadian Magazine Awards / Grands prix du magazine were held in Toronto on Thursday, April 27, 2017 at an awards dinner and fete. The Magazine Grands Prix would like to thank all of the sponsors who made these inaugural awards possible, particularly Reader's Digest, Labatt, the Lowe-Martin Group, CDS Global, Manulife, Rogers, the Facebook Journalism Project and the CBC.

The 2018 awards will be held during MagNet: Canada's Magazine Conference, happening April 24-28, 2018.

We aim to improve continuously. Help us strengthen the Magazine Grands Prix by sending us your thoughts. We appreciate any and all feedback: reaction@maggrandsprix.ca

About the Magazine Grands Prix
The Canadian Magazine Awards / Grands prix du magazine are a bold new awards program celebrating the best of Canada's magazine media. The Magazine Grands Prix include 26 categories, open to submissions from any platform and extended to new media applications, including videography, motion graphics and multi-platform treatment. The Magazine Grands Prix also presents a series of fellowships to Canadian journalists working on stories that explore in depth the issues that are most important to Canadians. Visit maggrandsprix.ca.

About Magazines Canada
Magazines Canada is the national association representing the majority of Canadian-owned, Canadian-content consumer, cultural, specialty, professional and business magazines. French and English member titles cover a wide range of interests across multiple platforms including arts and culture, business and professional, lifestyle and food, news and politics, sports and leisure, women and youth. The association focuses on government affairs, professional development, coordinating national awards programs and marketing campaigns, and delivering services that meet the needs of the magazine industry. Visit magazinescanada.ca.

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