ASME Announces 2026 Design and Photo Award Winners

Readers’ Choice Awards for best magazine covers also named; ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30 medalists to be honored at National Magazine Awards on May 19

New York (April 9, 2026)—The American Society of Magazine Editors today released the list of winners for the seventh annual ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration. Founded in 2019 to honor magazines and websites for individual examples of visual excellence, the awards recognize the unique importance of design, photography and illustration to the practice of magazine journalism.

ASME also announced today the 2026 winners of the ASME Readers’ Choice Awards for the best magazine covers of the year and the ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30.

The winners of the Design, Photography and Illustration Awards and the Readers’ Choice Awards will be honored during a video presentation at the ASME Editorial Conference at the People Inc. Event Center at Brookfield Place in New York City on Tuesday, May 19. The five ASME NEXT Awards honorees will receive their medals at the presentation of the 2026 National Magazine Awards later the same day, also at the People Inc. Event Center.

Tickets for the ASME Editorial Conference and the presentation of the 2026 National Magazine Awards and ASME Award for Fiction are now on sale. Conference-only tickets are $299. Tickets for the ASME Editorial Conference + National Magazine Awards are $699. ASME members are eligible for group discounts. To purchase tickets, download and return the interactive ticket-request form to [email protected] or call 212.872.3737.

“Magazines have long been known for images that capture the moment,” said Sidney Holt, the executive director of ASME. “The finalists and winners for this year’s ASME Awards and Readers’ Choice Awards continue in that tradition, with sometimes breathtaking, always entertaining graphic design and soon-to-be iconic photos and illustrations. ASME is also proud to recognize the latest generation of ambitious, risk-taking writers, editors and designers—the winners of the 2026 ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30.”

The ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration are presented in 12 categories this year, including 4 new categories for Best Magazine Covers. Thirty-two magazines and websites were named as finalists by the judges who met in January at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City and on Zoom.

Topping the list of finalists were The New York Times Magazine with eight nominations, New York Magazine with six and The Verge with four. GQ, National Geographic and The New Yorker each received three nominations. Receiving two nominations were The Atlantic, Bon Appétit, Garden & Gun, High Country News, Road & Track, Texas Monthly and W Magazine.

Also nominated for Design, Photography and Illustration Awards were The Atavist, Bloomberg Businessweek, ELLE, Entertainment Weekly, Foreign Policy, New York Times Opinion, Poetry, ProPublica, Quanta Magazine, Rolling Stone, SAVEUR, Sierra, Summit Journal, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Teen Vogue, TIME, Travel + Leisure, Virtuoso, The Magazine, and WSJ. Magazine.

The winners of the 2026 ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration are:

  • The Atlantic for Best Still and Animated Illustrations
  • Bon Appétit for Best Service and Lifestyle Design
  • ELLE for Best Service and Lifestyle Photography
  • High Country News for Best Independent Magazine Covers
  • National Geographic for Best News and Information Covers
  • The New York Times Magazine for Best Illustrated Stories and Best Entertainment and Celebrity Covers
  • The New Yorker for Best Entertainment and Celebrity Photography
  • Road & Track for Best Service and Lifestyle Covers
  • Rolling Stone for Best Entertainment and Celebrity Design
  • TIME for Best News and Documentary Photography
  • The Verge for Best News and Information Design

First presented in 2014, the ASME Readers’ Choice Awards recognize the best print and digital magazine covers of the preceding year as chosen by media consumers voting on social media. The 2026 voting was conducted at instagram.com/asme1963 from March 2 to March 31, when the account received more than 2 million page views.

During the voting for the ASME Readers’ Choice Awards this year, media consumers were able to like covers competing in the 2026 ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration. The top ten vote-getters included magazine covers from GQ, The Hollywood Reporter, National Geographic, New York Magazine, Teen Vogue and W Magazine.

The winner of the 2026 ASME Readers’ Choice Awards is National Geographic for its October 2025 cover, “The Tigers Who Changed Their Stripes,” photographed by Prasenjeet Yadav.

Established in 2015 to support the development of print and digital media, the ASME NEXT Awards recognize outstanding achievement by early-career journalists. Candidates must be affiliated with a magazine or website edited by an ASME member. The recipients of the 11th annual ASME NEXT Awards are Paula Aceves of New York Magazine, Isabella Cueto of STAT, Charlotte Klein of New York Magazine, Chris Panicker of GQ and Pitchfork and Matteo Wong of The Atlantic.

ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration

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

1. Best News and Information Design
Honors the art direction of articles or editorial packages covering politics, business, science, technology, society and culture

Winner
The Verge for “American War,” April 21, including “Wandering Souls,” by Matt Huynh, April 22, and “For Scale,” April 23

Finalists

2. Best Entertainment and Celebrity Design
Honors the art direction of articles or editorial packages covering popular culture and professional sports, including celebrity news and profiles

Winner
Rolling Stone for July-August Issue

Finalists

  • Garden & Gun for “The Eternal Optimism of Craig Melvin,” August/September
  • GQ for “Michael B. Jordan Wants to Slow Down (but Not Right Now),” March, “Bigger Than Texas,” April/May, and “How Travis Kelce Spent His Summer Vacation,” September
  • The Verge for “How the Creator Economy Destroyed the Internet,” December 8, including “News Daddy New York Times,” November 24, and “Stop, Shop, and Scroll,” December 8
  • W Magazine for “Deep Dream State,” Volume Two, “Sprinklelina,” Volume Two, and “The Wild, Whimsical, Wonderful World of Chappell Roan,” Volume Three

3. Best Service and Lifestyle Design
Honors the art direction of articles or editorial packages covering fashion, food, travel, design, health, parenting, personal finance and active sports

Winner
Bon Appétit for “The Art & Design Issue,” May, “The 20 Best New Restaurants of 2025,” October, and “This Is Thanksgiving 2025,” November

Finalists

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

Winner
TIME for “What the Venezuelans Deported to El Salvador Experienced,” photographs by Philip Holsinger, March 21 at time.com

Finalists

5. Best Entertainment and Celebrity Photography
Honors the visual coverage of popular culture and professional sports, including celebrity portraiture

Winner
The New Yorker for “Power Houses,” photographs by Gillian Laub, May 5 at newyorker.com and May 12 & 19 Issue

Finalists

6. Best Service and Lifestyle Photography
Honors the visual coverage of fashion, food, travel, design, health, parenting, personal finance and active sports

Winner
ELLE for "Sculpture Garden," September, and "Screen Gems," November, photographs by Sarah van Rij and David van der Leeuw

Finalists

  • Bon Appétit for “Bite at the Museum,” photographs by Heami Lee, May, “Hawai‘i the Local Way,” photographs by Brendan George Ko, August, and "The 20 Best New Restaurants of 2025," photographs by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Evan Jenkins, Michelle Groskopf, Cayce Clifford, Stephen Cardinale, Lexi Parra, Evelyn Freja, Isa Zapata, Jared Soares, Daymon Gardner, Hatsue, Adam Milliron, Graham Tolbert and Kyle Johnson, October
  • The New York Times Magazine for “The Bone Hunters of Siberia,” March 12 at nytimes.com/magazine, and “The Abyss,” March 16, photographs by Evgenia Arbugaeva
  • Road & Track for “Joey Versus the Curve,” April/May, “The Good Place,” June/July, and “Putting Down Roots,” December 2025/January 2026, photographs by Will Crooks
  • WSJ. Magazine for “The Last Living Monet,” photographs by Sam Rock, Diana Markosian, Stefan Giftthaler, Fumiko Imano, Juergen Teller, Stella Blackmon, Colin Dodgson, Donavon Smallwood and Charles Negre, July 24 at wsj.com

7. Best Still and Animated Illustrations
Honors still and animated images published in print or on digital platforms

Winner
The Atlantic for “America's Mad King,” illustration by Ben Hickey, April 17 at theatlantic.com

Finalists

  • The Atavist for “American Hindenburg,” illustrations by Alberto Aragón, August 30
  • The New Yorker for “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” illustration by Tim Enthoven, February 3
  • Summit Journal for “Something Lost Behind the Ranges,” illustrations by Sally Deng, Spring
  • The Verge for “The Long Wait for a Glimpse of Luigi,” illustrations by Molly Crabapple, February 22

8. Best Illustrated Stories
Honors visual narrative published in print or on digital platforms

Winner
The New York Times Magazine for “An Agoraphobe Goes to the Grocery Store,” by Sara Benincasa, illustrations and animations by Nata Metlukh, March 14 at nytimes.com/magazine

Finalists

9. Best News and Information Covers
Honors print and digital covers about politics, business, science, technology, society and culture

Winner
National Geographic for “This Pig Could Save Your Life,” photograph by Craig Cutler, June

Finalists

  • Bloomberg Businessweek for “A New Wall,” image by Saratta Chuengsatiansup, May
  • New York Magazine for “The Trap at 26 Federal Plaza,” photograph by Stephanie Keith, October 20-November 2
  • The New York Times Magazine for “The Rise and Fall of Eric Adams,” photograph by Bobby Doherty, March 23
  • The New York Times Magazine for “Inside the Collapse of the F.D.A.,” illustration by Aimee Sy, July 20

10. Best Entertainment and Celebrity Covers
Honors print and digital covers about popular culture and professional sports

Winner
The New York Times Magazine for “The Rock and the Hard Place,” photograph by Jack Davison, September 28

Finalists

  • Entertainment Weekly for “Upping the Ante,” videography by Kelia Anne, May 13
  • New York Magazine for “The Yesteryear Issue,” photographs by Mark Seliger, April 7-20 Split Cover
  • T: The New York Times Style Magazine for “The Real Greatest Generation” and “The Greatest Generation (Not!!),” illustrations and animations by David Silverman, and “The Greatest Generation??,” drawing by Chris Ware, animation by John Kuramoto, December 7 Split Cover
  • Teen Vogue for “Introducing Vivian Wilson,” Special Issue, photograph by Andy Jackson, March

11. Best Service and Lifestyle Covers
Honors print and digital covers about fashion, food, travel, design, health, parenting, personal finance and active sports

Winner
Road & Track for “The Car World’s Strongest Bonding Agent,” photograph by Ian Allen, December 2025/January 2026

Finalists

  • New York Magazine for “It Must Be Nice to Be a West Village Girl,” photograph by Dina Litovsky, May 5-18
  • SAVEUR for Issue No. 205, photograph by Heami Lee, Fall/Winter
  • Travel + Leisure for “The Water Issue,” photograph by Marta Tucci, February
  • Virtuoso, The Magazine, for “The Hotel Issue,” photograph by Korena Bolding, July/August

12. Best Independent Magazine Covers
Honors print and digital covers of publications serving highly defined reader communities, including city and regional titles, as well as covers about literature, science, politics, media and the arts

Winner
High Country News for “The Art of the Cruise,” photograph by Gabriela Campos, May

Finalists

  • Foreign Policy for “Trump World,” illustration by Brian Stauffer, Winter
  • High Country News for “Immigrant Stories,” painting by Papay Solomon, February
  • Poetry for June Issue, photograph by Mike Renaud
  • Sierra for “Public Lands on the Line,” photograph by Patrick Mueller, Fall

Content published 2025 unless otherwise indicated. URLs may link to digital versions of print entries. Finalists’ and winners’ gallery posted at asme.media.

ASME Readers’ Choice Awards

First presented in 2014, the ASME Readers’ Choice Awards recognize the best magazine covers of the preceding year as chosen by media consumers voting on social media

Winner
National Geographic for “The Tigers Who Changed Their Stripes,” photograph by Prasenjeet Yadav, October

Awardees

  • GQ for “Michael B. Jordan Reveals His Master Plan,” photograph by Jack Bridgland, March
  • The Hollywood Reporter for “The Rage of Adolescence,” photograph by Simon Emmett, April 10
  • The Hollywood Reporter for “This Is Not Keanu,” illustration by Christopher Hughes, July 9
  • The Hollywood Reporter for “The New Face of Hollywood,” illustration by Neil Jamieson, July 30
  • The Hollywood Reporter for “How Kevin Costner Lost the Plot,” illustration by Neil Jamieson, October 8
  • National Geographic for “This Pig Could Save Your Life,” photograph by Craig Cutler, June
  • New York for “Surprised? [Zohran Mamdani],” photograph by Adam Dowling, June 30-July 13
  • Teen Vogue for “Sadie Sink in a New Light,” photograph by Beth Garrabrant, April 3
  • W Magazine for “Jennifer Lawrence by Wolfgang Tillmans,” December

ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30

Established in 2015 to support the development of print and digital media, the ASME NEXT Awards honor outstanding achievement by early-career journalists

Honorees

Paula Aceves
Associate Editor, New York Magazine
Nominated by Gazelle Emami, Editorial Director, New York Magazine

Isabella Cueto
Chronic Disease Reporter, STAT
Nominated by Rick Berke, Cofounder and Executive Editor, STAT

Charlotte Klein
Features Writer, New York Magazine
Nominated by Ryu Spaeth, Features Editor, New York Magazine

Chris Panicker
Senior Designer, GQ and Pitchfork
Nominated by Mano Sundaresan, Head of Editorial Content, Pitchfork

Matteo Wong
Staff Writer, The Atlantic
Nominated by Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor in Chief, The Atlantic

About the ASME Awards
Solely sponsored by ASME, the ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration and the ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30 are judged and presented with the National Magazine Awards. The most prestigious journalism awards for magazines and websites in the United States, the National Magazine Awards are sponsored by ASME in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

The 2026 judges included more than 60 writers, editors, art directors, photo editors and educators. A list of the judging leaders for the ASME Awards and the ASME NEXT Awards, as well as the National Magazine Awards, is now posted at asmeawards.org; a complete list of the judges will be posted when the winners of the National Magazine Awards are announced. The results of the judging of the ASME Awards and ASME NEXT Awards are subject to the approval of the ASME Board of Directors.

Originally part of the now discontinued ASME Best Cover Contest, the ASME Readers’ Choice Awards were first presented in 2014. Entries in the four categories for magazine covers in the ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration were posted at instagram.com/asme1963 from March 2 to March 31. Ten awardees, including the winner, were chosen by readers liking their favorite covers.

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, which articulate basic principles for the conduct of magazine journalists.

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