National Geographic has received several honors and awards this winter, most notably the magazine took home the award for General Excellence in the News, Sports and Entertainment category last night at the American Society of Magazine Editors’ 54th annual Ellie Awards. In the award citation, the judges wrote: “After 130 years, National Geographic is still surprising readers. With unflagging ambition and ever-growing artistry, the magazine achieved new levels of excellence in 2018.”
The National Magazine Awards, known as the Ellies for the elephant-shaped statuettes presented to each winner, are administered by ASME. The full list of winners can be seen here. Susan Goldberg, Editor in Chief of National Geographic magazine and Editorial Director of National Geographic Partners, accepted this award at the ceremony.
“At National Geographic, we’re excited about what comes next. We step into that future every day by creating unforgettable, visual journalism that’s urgent, part of the conversation, and that’s making a difference. And we are doing it with tools that allow us to reach larger and more diverse audiences than ever.”
Susan Goldberg,
Besides winning this prestigious honor, see below for a roundup of other recent distinctions awarded to the editorial team at National Geographic.
Pictures of the Year International Awards
In the category of Print Magazine/Media Visual Editing, Kurt Mutchler, editor of "Katie’s New Face," won first place; Vaughn Wallace, editor of "Planet or Plastic," won second place; Kathy Moran, editor of "Feeding China," won third place; Sadie Quarrier, editor of "Palm Oil," "Antarctica," and Jennifer Samuel, editor of "Japanese Internment," received honorable mentions.
In the category of Magazine/Media Visual Editor, Kurt Mutchler won first place, Jennifer Samuel won second place, and James Wellford won third place.
Photographer Lynn Johnson won first place in the Science and Natural History Picture Story category for her work on "The Immortal Corpse." See the full list of the Pictures of the Year International Awards recipients here.
National Geographic Awarded “Best in Show” by Society for News Design
National Geographic picked up several honors from the 40th Best of News Design Creative Competition. "Katie’s New Face" won two gold medals. Then, after reviewing all 4,831 entries, the judges gathered to discuss the gold medal winners to decide whether to elevate one to "Best in Show." National Geographic’s extensive print and digital packages for “Katie’s New Face” took this grand prize. National Geographic also won two silver medals, one for the “Planet or Plastic” cover and one for Traveler’s combined print and digital presentation of an illustrated journey through the Galapagos. See the full list of Society for News Design award recipients here.
The National Press Photographers Association
In the team entry category of Magazine Picture Editor of the Year, National Geographic’s Photo Editing Staff won first place. In the individual category of Magazine Picture Editor of the Year, Kurt Mutchler won first place, Kathy Moran won second place, and James Wellford and Jennifer Samuel both recieved honorable mention. See the full list of The National Press Photographers Associations recipients here.
Scripps Howard Awards
“Planet or Plastic?” won Environmental Reporting at the 2018 Scripps Howard Awards. The judges’ commented, “National Geographic’s ‘Planet or Plastic?’ has catapulted the conversation onto a global platform by creating awareness and catalyzing action. Journalism like this shines a light on policy flaws and irresponsible manufacturing and empowers citizens and communities to be proactive about protecting our environment and the people and animals it supports.” See the full list of the Scripps Howard Award recipients here.