National City and Regional Magazine 2018 Award Winners

5280 and Texas Monthly both took home five prizes. Seattle Met won four awards, and Chicago Magazine won three. Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Boston Magazine, Washingtonian, Yankee Magazine and Portland Monthly secured two awards each. Eight other magazines — Charlotte Magazine, St. Louis Magazine, Cleveland Magazine, Baltimore Magazine, Philadelphia Magazine, Palm Springs Life, Sarasota Magazine and Columbus Monthly — won single awards.

Although nominated numerous times, this was 5280's first win for General Excellence. In awarding the prize, judges cited 5280's "delightful blend of sharp writing, first-rate design and actionable service presented in fun, bold and always creative ways." The magazine also won for Feature Story (circulation more than 60,000) for Robert Sanchez's "Lost and Found," a story about body hunters. Its front of book compilation, "Compass, Adventure, Culture, Eat & Drink," took the prize for Magazine Section. The magazine's two additional awards were for Illustration and Graphics and E-Newsletter.

Texas Monthly won the Reporting category for the work of Ryan Goldberg, who spent months learning the stories of an indigenous Mexican group that finds itself wrapped in the drug economy. The magazine also won the Excellence in Writing category for its August issue. Its team-driven work on "Hurricane Harvey" captured the prize for Special Issue. The magazine's two design awards were for Spread Design (circulation larger than 60,000) and Designer of the Year (Emily Kimbro).

Calling Seattle Met "one of the top regional magazines in the country," judges singled out its "hopeful and optimistic vision" in giving it the General Excellence award. Seattle Met also took home a writing prize in the Profile category (circulation less than 60,000) for Kathryn Robinson's "Michael Foster is Defiant." It also won Spread Design (circulation less than 60,000) and Leisure/Lifestyle Interests. Chicago Magazine dominated the digital category with awards for Excellence Online, Online Column and Multiplatform Storytelling.

Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl's writing won Mpls.St.Paul Magazine the prize for Food or Dining Writing, and the magazine also won Feature Design (circulation more than 60,000). The Herb Lipson Award for Column Excellence went to Boston Magazine for David Bernstein's pointed writing, and the magazine's Home publication won Ancillary: Home/Shelter. Washingtonian won the Profile category (circulation more than 60,000) for Justin Heckert's "Jeni Stepanek's Last Heartsong." The judges called this story "stunning…a focused, driving, significant contemplation of what it means to face death and go on living." In addition, Washingtonian's "Newcomer's Guide" won Reader Service.

The Photography award went to Yankee Magazine for Joel Woods' "powerful" images in "A Hard Life Made Beautiful." The magazine's second award was in Food or Dining Feature Package for "Lobsterpalooza." Portland Monthly won Ancillary Weddings and Ancillary General Interest for Bride & Groom and Newcomer's Guide, respectively.

Charlotte Magazine's Jesse Soloff won the Essays/Commentary/Criticism category for the heart-wrenching "Our Last Home." Jeannette Cooperman's expertly reported and written "Too Much Money" won St. Louis Magazine the award for Feature Story (circulation less than 60,000). Writer of the Year went to Cleveland Magazine and James Bigley II for what judges called his "good and important" stories. Baltimore Magazine's delightful "Cake Walk" won the Feature Design category (circulation less than 60,000).

Philadelphia Magazine took home the prize in Cover Excellence. Judges remarked that the covers were "simple, inventive, voice-y and refreshing." Palm Springs Life's won the award for Excellence in Design. Judges cited the magazine's "radically different" approach and "sophistication rarely seen in traditional magazines." Craig Pittman's alarming story, "Time Bombs," won Sarasota Magazine the Civic Journalism prize.

In awarding Columbus Monthly the General Excellence award in its circulation category, judges commented on the magazine's "remarkable breadth and depth of coverage." Under a different judging system, the magazine won a Silver Award for General Excellence in 2001, but this is Columbus Monthly's first outright win for General Excellence.

More than 100 judges selected the finalists. They included representatives from publications such as AARP the Magazine, Advertising Age, Allure, Better Homes & Gardens, The Atavist Magazine, CityLab, Consumer Reports, Discover Magazine, Eater, Entertainment Weekly, ESPN The Magazine, Esquire, Everyday with Rachel Ray, Family Circle, Farm & Ranch Living, Fast Company, Garden & Gun, Harper's, Houston Press, Inc. Magazine, Marie Claire, Men's Health, Midwest Living, Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, National Geographic, The New York Times, Oxford American, Outside Living, Popular Mechanics, Reminisce Magazine, Reader's Digest, Rolling Stone, Runner's World, Saveur, Scientific American, Southern Living, Successful Farming, Sunset, Time, Village Voice Media, The Washington Post and Women's Day, as well as journalism professors from the Missouri School of Journalism.

The competition is only open to members of CRMA. The contest is a 33-year-old national competition and has been coordinated by the University of Missouri School of Journalism on behalf of CRMA for 22 years.

The 2018 finalists winners are:

SOURCE CRMA