On Monday, the City and Regional Magazine Association (CRMA) announced the finalists for its annual industry awards, and Baltimore magazine received 11 nominations this year.
More than 100 judges from publications around the country—in coordination with the University of Missouri School of Journalism—helped to choose finalists in 35 categories including editorial, design, digital, and general excellence.
“This is such a thrill for all of us,” said Max Weiss, the magazine’s editor-in-chief. “It’s gratifying to see all of our hard work pay off. We love representing our wonderful city with a magazine that is nationally recognized for its excellence.”
Baltimore senior editor Ron Cassie, who has covered many hard-hitting topics ranging from the Capital Gazette tragedy to the impact of climate change on our community within the past year, was nominated as Writer of the Year against four others.
Food and dining editor Jane Marion’s “Eat Global” cover story (October 2019) was recognized as a nominee for top Food and Dining Feature Package. Written alongside Lauren Cohen, Henry Hong, Mike Unger, and Lydia Woolever with photography by Kate Grewal and illustrations by former assistant art director Danielle Dernoga, this feature delves into the diversity of restaurants that make up Baltimore’s dining scene, spotlighting everything from Ecuadorian and Iranian to Korean and Nepalese dishes.
Additional nominations included “Faces of Pride” (June 2019) in the category of Special Issue. The story was edited by senior editor Lydia Woolever and former style editor Lauren Bell. It features photography by Sean Scheidt.
The magazine’s art department is especially proud to receive additional nominations in the categories of Spread Design for “Pressing On” (June 2019), Photography for “Faces of Pride” (June 2019), and Feature Design for “A-Z Guide to Crabs” (July 2019). These nominations recognize creative director Amanda White-Iseli, former assistant art director Danielle Dernoga, and production manager Jon Timian, as well as design assistance from photographer Christopher Myers and illustrators The Heads of State and T.M. Detwiler.
Special editions art director Staci Lanham and managing editor Janelle Erlichman-Diamond were recognized for their work on Baltimore Weddings, which was nominated for Ancillary: Weddings publication.
On the digital side, Baltimore magazine received a nomination for Excellence Online for baltimoremagazine.com, honoring the work of former digital editor Jess Mayhugh, digital senior editor Lauren Cohen, and digital editorial assistant Evan Greenberg.
The magazine also received two nominations for Multiplatform Storytelling, with nods to “A New Leaf,”—which was written by Lydia Woolever, photographed by Christopher Myers, illustrated by Danielle Dernoga, and designed for the web by contributing digital designer Aaron Hope—and “Marching Orders,” a photo essay by Shawn Hubbard with words by former digital content producer Michelle Evans, which was also designed for the web by Hope.
Last, but certainly not least, Baltimore was nominated for the esteemed General Excellence award, which recognizes the overall quality of magazines with a circulation between 30,000 to 60,000.
Judges named five finalists in each category and will announce the winners at CRMA’s virtual conference in May 2020.