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2011: The Best Year Ever

Traci Nigon, editor and designer, American Miniaturist Magazine

Thirteen publications serve up their best showing ever in this year’s awards.

It’s easy to see that the race to become a future Magazine of the Year will be very tight. In the midst of the Jason vs. Jason debate, Smashed-tinis, and Silent Auction bids, the MMPA bestowed 246 awards to a wide range of magazines encompassing everything from hunting to college alumni to local guides, and the points accumulated for these mags push each of them closer to the front of the pack.

Coming away with their most successful years ever are thirteen magazines with a variety of titles; a list that includes: Architecture Minnesota, Betty Crocker, Event Solutions, Franchise Times, IBM Systems Magazine, Lake Superior Magazine, Minneapolis St. Paul Official Visitors Guide, Momentum, Pheasants Forever, Reserve, Rochester Women Magazine, Specialty Fabrics Review and Tablets & Capsules.

But the first step in this journey was submitting entries. “We entered more categories than in previous years,” says Ellie Miller of Rochester Women Magazine. Of course, the value for her was not only the awards, but also the camaraderie; for a staff comprised primarily of freelancers, it was nice for them to have a night out together. “When we were choosing the entries, we even got together and looked through the issues as a team,” she adds.

Yet Rochester Women Magazine is not the only magazine to keep tabs on, and the MOY for 2012 is not guaranteed to come from the 2011 finalists. Perhaps a long-standing magazine will have one of its best years ever next year to lift them into the running; perhaps it will be yours. For an award that honors longevity based on accumulated points over the years, the race is becoming much more interesting.

Contact Traci Nigon