AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGAZINE EDITORS ANNOUNCES NATIONAL MAGAZINE AWARDS 2025 WINNERS

Mother Jones, The New Yorker and ProPublica receive multiple awards; Fiction, Design, Photography and Illustration and ASME NEXT honorees also announced

New York (April 10, 2025)—The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is today announcing the winners of the 60th annual National Magazine Awards. The winners of the ASME Award for Fiction, the ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration and the 10th annual ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30 are also being announced.

One of the most prestigious journalism-awards programs in the United States, the National Magazine Awards are sponsored by ASME in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Originally limited to print magazines, the awards now honor magazine storytelling published in any print or digital medium, including newspapers and newsletters. The National Magazine Awards are currently presented in 18 categories, ranging from Reporting and Feature Writing to Podcasting and Video.

“Take a look at the National Magazine Awards 2025 winners and what you immediately see is the staggering variety of the work—that and the equally staggering quality of the reporting and writing,” said Sidney Holt, the executive director of ASME. “From ‘American Cowardice,’ The Atlantic’s article on the Parkland, Florida, school shooting, to Heatmap News’ ‘Decarbonize Your Life,’” the depth of analysis and insight is truly astonishing. Look too at the winning stories and images in the Fiction and Design, Photography and Illustration awards—it all just proves there’s nothing like a great magazine piece.”

The top winner in 2025 was The New Yorker with three National Magazine Awards and two ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration. Mother Jones and ProPublica both won two National Magazine Awards, including awards for General Excellence. Also winning awards for General Excellence were Esquire and a first-time recipient, STAT.

First-time winners of National Magazine Awards included The Center for Public Integrity, Food & Wine, The Food Section, Heatmap News and New York Times Opinion as well as STAT. The Atavist, The Atlantic, New York, The New York Times Magazine and Quanta also won National Magazine Awards this year.

Zoetrope: All-Story received the ASME Award for Fiction. The ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration winners were The Atlantic, InStyle, New York, The New York Times Magazine, New York Times Opinion, The New Yorker, Stranger’s Guide with Coda Story, and The Verge. The ASME NEXT Awards honorees were 1843 Magazine’s Kylie Warner, The Atlantic’s Andrew Aoyama, The New Yorker’s Marella Gayla, Pitchfork’s Alphonse Pierre and The Verge’s Mia Sato.

ASME will host the winners of the National Magazine Awards, ASME Award for Fiction, ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration and ASME NEXT Awards at a reception at Racket at 431 West 16th Street in New York City from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3.

Each award winner will receive two complimentary tickets. Multiple-award winners will receive two tickets for each additional award. Tickets will also be available for purchase at $250 each for ASME members and $350 for nonmembers. To purchase tickets, email [email protected].

All publication dates are 2024 unless otherwise indicated. Editors whose names appear in citations held the positions listed when the work was published; other editors may now be in those positions. Judges’ citations for the winners of the National Magazine Awards, ASME Award for Fiction, ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration and ASME NEXT Awards are now posted at asme.media, along with a complete list of finalists. A list of the judges is posted at nationalmagazineawards.org. Badges for finalists and winners are posted at asme.media.

National Magazine Awards 2025 Winners

Established in 1965 to advance the practice of journalism and promote the value of magazine storytelling, the National Magazine Awards honor print and digital publications for superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design

1 — 4 GENERAL EXCELLENCE
Honors magazines and websites in four categories based on content and audience

1 News, Sports and Entertainment
Recognizes publications covering society, culture, politics, business, technology and professional sports

ProPublica
Stephen Engelberg, Editor in Chief
propublica.org

2 Service and Lifestyle
Recognizes publications covering fashion, food, travel, design, health, parenting, personal finance and active sports

Esquire
Michael Sebastian, Editor in Chief
September and October/November Issues
esquire.com

3 Special Interest
Recognizes publications serving highly defined reader communities, including city and regional magazines

STAT
Rick Berke, Cofounder and Executive Editor
statnews.com

4 Literature, Science and Politics
Recognizes publications covering the arts and sciences as well as providing news analysis and political and social commentary

Mother Jones
Clara Jeffery, Editor in Chief
January + February and July + August Issues
motherjones.com

5 DESIGN
Honors overall excellence in the art direction of print and digital publications as demonstrated by three examples of work

New York Times Opinion
Kathleen Kingsbury, Opinion Editor
Kate Elazegui, Creative Director
“A Life Without a Home,” February 21, “Donald Trump’s First Term Is a Warning,” July 18, and “At the Brink,” October 10, at nytimes.com/opinion

6 PHOTOGRAPHY
Honors overall excellence in the photo direction of print and digital publications as demonstrated by three examples of work

The New Yorker
David Remnick, Editor
Joanna Milter, Director of Photography
“A Safe Haven for Late Abortions,” photographs by Maggie Shannon, February 5 at newyorker.com, “A Campus in Crisis,” photographs by Nina Berman, May 13, and “Sorry I'm Not Your Clown Today,” photographs by Ryan McGinley, September 23

7 PODCASTING
Honors the outstanding use of audio content by media organizations

The Center for Public Integrity with Reveal and Mother Jones from PRX
Clara Jeffery, Editor in Chief, Mother Jones
Cynthia Rodriguez, Senior Editor, Reveal
Three episodes of “40 Acres and a Lie,” hosted by Al Letson: “Part 1,” June 15, “Part 2,” June 22, and “Part 3,” June 29

8 VIDEO
Honors the outstanding use of video by media organizations

The New Yorker
David Remnick, Editor
Paul Moakley, Executive Producer
“Incident,” by Bill Morrison, August 28

9 SINGLE-TOPIC ISSUE
Honors magazines and websites for the comprehensive examination of one subject

Quanta
Samir Patel, Editor in Chief
Edited by Natalie Wolchover and Michael Moyer
“The Unraveling of Space-Time,” September 25

10 NEWSLETTERS
Honors newsletters for editorial excellence as demonstrated by three examples of the same publication

The Food Section
Hanna Raskin, Editor and Publisher
Three issues of “The Food Section”: “Decision of a Lifetime,” February 19, and “Squab Slip Through the Cracks,” March 4, by Hanna Raskin, and “Intermediary Fajitas,” published with The Assembly, by Tina Vasquez, July 15

11 SERVICE JOURNALISM
Honors magazine journalism that addresses readers’ needs and aspirations while providing instruction and advice

Heatmap News
Nico Lauricella, Editor in Chief
Edited by Jillian Goodman
“Decarbonize Your Life,” September 23

12 LIFESTYLE JOURNALISM
Honors magazine journalism that celebrates readers’ interests while providing inspiration or instruction

Food & Wine
Hunter Lewis, Editor in Chief
Edited by Karen Shimizu
“The City That Rice Built,” article by Jeff Gordinier and George McCalman, September; video directed by Fabienne Toback and Karis Jagger, August 20 at foodandwine.com; and social media @foodandwine on Instagram, September 23

13 REPORTING
Honors reporting excellence as exemplified by one article or a series of articles

The Atlantic
Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor in Chief
Edited by Scott Stossel
"American Cowardice," by Jamie Thompson, March

14 FEATURE WRITING
Honors original, stylish magazine storytelling

The New York Times Magazine
Jake Silverstein, Editor in Chief
Edited by Mark Jannot
“The Deserter,” by Sarah A. Topol, September 22

15 PROFILE WRITING
Honors news or feature stories that explore the character and background of an individual or a group of closely linked individuals

The Atavist
Seyward Darby, Editor in Chief
“Coming to America,” by Rhana Natour, July

16 COLUMNS AND ESSAYS
Honors interpretative journalism, including political and social commentary and essays on the personal experience of the writer

New York
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Edited by Joy Shan
“The Last Thing My Mother Wanted,” by Evelyn Jouvenet, May 6-19

17 REVIEWS AND CRITICISM
Honors commentary on the arts as well as reviews of products and services

The New Yorker
David Remnick, Editor
Edited by Namara Smith
Three articles by Parul Sehgal: “Divorce Story,” August 12, “The Mystery of Pain,” September 16, and “Origin Story,” October 21

18 PUBLIC INTEREST
Honors magazine storytelling that illuminates issues of local, national or international importance

ProPublica
Stephen Engelberg, Editor in Chief
Edited by Alexandra Zayas
“The Year After a Denied Abortion,” by Stacy Kranitz and Kavitha Surana, February 15, “Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother’s Death Was Preventable,” by Kavitha Surana, September 16, and “A Pregnant Teenager Died After Trying to Get Care in Three Visits to Texas Emergency Rooms,” by Lizzie Presser and Kavitha Surana, November 1

ASME Award for Fiction 2025 Winner

Established in 2017 to celebrate the historic link between literary fiction and magazine journalism, this award honors magazines and websites for excellence in the publication of fiction as demonstrated by three examples of work

Zoetrope: All-Story
Michael Ray, Editor
"Seven Stories About Tammy," by Elizabeth McCracken, Spring, "Countdown," by Anthony Marra, Spring, and "Town," by Alan Murrin, Summer

ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration 2025 Winners

Founded in 2019, the ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration honor magazines and websites for visual excellence and recognize the unique importance of design, photography and illustration to the practice of magazine journalism both in print and online

1 BEST NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT DESIGN
Honors the art direction of print, digital or multiplatform stories or packages covering politics, business, science, technology, entertainment and professional sports

The Verge
Nilay Patel, Editor in Chief
Kristen Radtke, Creative Director
“2004 Was the First Year of the Future,” October 15

2 BEST SERVICE AND LIFESTYLE DESIGN
Honors the art direction of print, digital or multiplatform stories or packages covering fashion, food, travel, design, health, parenting, personal finance and active sports

New York
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Thomas Alberty, Design Director
“The YESTERYEAR Issue,” April 8–21

3 BEST SOCIAL MEDIA
Honors the art and photo direction of work created specially for social platforms

InStyle
Sally Holmes, Editor in Chief and General Manager
“We’re All Just Living in Katseye’s World” @instylemagazine on Instagram, and @instyle on TikTok and YouTube, September 25; “Imagemaker Awards” @instylemagazine on Instagram, October 24 and October 25, and @instyle on TikTok, October 24, October 26 and October 29; and “InStyle x Alexis Bittar” @instylemagazine on Instagram, August 21, August 22, September 7, September 8 and September 16

4 BEST NEWS AND DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY
Honors the visual coverage of politics, business, science, technology, society and culture as well as news events and news makers

The Atlantic
Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor in Chief
Peter Mendelsund, Creative Director
Bifen Xu, Photo Editor
“Seventy Miles in the Darién Gap,” photographs by Lynsey Addario, September

5 BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHY
Honors the visual coverage of entertainment and professional sports as well as celebrity portraiture

The New Yorker
David Remnick, Editor
Joanna Milter, Director of Photography
“Sorry I'm Not Your Clown Today,” photographs by Ryan McGinley, September 23

6 BEST SERVICE AND LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY
Honors the visual coverage of fashion, food, travel, design, health, parenting, personal finance and active sports

Stranger's Guide with Coda Story
Kira Brunner Don, Editor in Chief, Stranger’s Guide
Natalia Antelava, Chief Executive Officer and Editor in Chief, Coda Story
Aimee Blase, Print Design, Stranger’s Guide
“The New Aztecs,” photographs by Kike Arnal, Issue 21

7 BEST STILL ILLUSTRATIONS
Honors still images published in print or on digital platforms

New York Times Opinion
Kathleen Kingsbury, Opinion Editor
Kate Elazegui, Creative Director
“America Needs to Remember How to Forget,” illustrations by Deanne Cheuk, June 15 at nytimes.com/opinion and June 16 print edition

8 BEST ANIMATED ILLUSTRATIONS
Honors animated images published on digital platforms

The New Yorker
David Remnick, Editor
Nicholas Blechman, Creative Director
“The Mormon TikTok Moms Are All of Us,” illustration by Fromm Studio, September 14

9 BEST ILLUSTRATED STORIES
Honors visual narrative published in print or on digital platforms

The New York Times Magazine
Jake Silverstein, Editor in Chief
Gail Bichler, Creative Director
“Walnut and Me,” by Sam Anderson, illustrations by Gaia Alari, May 31 at nytimes.com/magazine

ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30 Honorees

Established by the American Society of Magazine Editors in 2015 to support the development of print and digital media, these awards honor outstanding achievement by early-career journalists

Andrew Aoyama
Deputy Managing Editor, The Atlantic
Nominated by Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor in Chief, The Atlantic

Marella Gayla
Associate Editor, The New Yorker
Nominated by Michael Luo, Executive Editor, The New Yorker

Alphonse Pierre
Senior Writer, Pitchfork
Nominated by Jeremy D. Larson, Deputy Director, Pitchfork

Mia Sato
Feature Writer, The Verge
Nominated by Nilay Patel, Editor in Chief, The Verge

Kylie Warner
Associate Editor, 1843 Magazine
Nominated by Jonathan Beckman, Editor, 1843 Magazine

About the National Magazine Awards
First presented in 1966, the National Magazine Awards are sponsored by the American Society of Magazine Editors in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and are administered by ASME. This year 236 media organizations entered the awards, submitting 979 entries in 18 categories. The judges included 252 writers, editors, art directors, photo editors and journalism educators.

The winner of each National Magazine Award receives a copper “Ellie,” modeled on the symbol of the awards, Alexander Calder’s 1942 stabile “Elephant Walking.” The ASME Award for Fiction, the ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration, and the ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30 are judged and presented in conjunction with the National Magazine Awards.

About ASME
The American Society of Magazine Editors is the principal organization for the editorial leaders of magazines and websites published in the United States. Founded in 1963, ASME strives to defend the First Amendment, support the development of journalism and promote the editorial integrity of print and digital publications. ASME sponsors the National Magazine Awards in association with the Columbia Journalism School, conducts training programs for reporters and editors and publishes the ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers.

About Columbia Journalism School
For over a century, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism has been preparing journalists with instruction and training that stresses academic rigor, ethics, journalistic inquiry and professional practice. Founded with a gift from Joseph Pulitzer, the school opened its doors in 1912 and offers master of science, master of arts and doctor of philosophy degrees. Learn more at journalism.columbia.edu.

Contact:
Sidney Holt
[email protected]
212-872-3723