National Magazine Awards at ASME Editorial Conference

National Magazine Awards at ASME Editorial Conference 2026

National Magazine Awards 2026 finalists announced. Read the press release here.

Connect with your colleagues at the 2026 ASME Editorial Conference as leading journalists explore top-of-mind topics, then join the party as ASME presents the 2026 National Magazine Awards. Sponsored by ASME in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, the National Magazine Awards are the most prestigious awards for magazines and editorial websites in the United States. Each of the 2026 finalists will be honored—and the winners announced—at this year’s awards presentation.

To purchase tickets, download and return the interactive ticket-request form to [email protected] or call 212.872.3737.

Download 2026 Ticket-Request Form

Theater Seating | Limited Availability
Deadline to Purchase Tickets: Thursday, April 30, 2026

Tickets
Editorial Conference-Only: $299 each
National Magazine Awards-Only: $599 each
Editorial Conference + National Magazine Awards: $699 each
For groups of 10 or more, email [email protected] for pricing

ASME Editorial Conference 2026
People Inc. Conference Center | 12:00–5:00 PM

12:00-1:00 pm
Check-In | Reception Gallery | 5th Floor
Welcome Reception | Light Refreshments

1:00-1:05 pm
Conference Introduction | People Inc. Auditorium | 5th Floor
Alison Overholt, Founder, Good People LLC, Professor, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and ASME President

1:05-1:10 pm
ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration
Video Presentation

1:10-1:55 pm
Where Magazines Go Next
Editorial leaders explain how print and digital publications are using the tools of magazine journalism to meet the current moment in media—and succeed in the attention economy
Moderator: Julia Turner, Cofounder and Editor in Chief, L.A. Material
Panelists:
Willa Bennett, Editor in Chief, Cosmopolitan and Seventeen
David Haskell, Editor in Chief, New York Magazine
Pablo Torre, Host and Executive Editor, Pablo Torre Finds Out

2:05-2:50 pm
Breakout Sessions | People Inc. Conference Center | 4th Floor
Choose the session you want to attend and join the conversation

The Craft of Magazine Storytelling | Room 4S-112
How do National Magazine Award finalists come together? Writers and editors tell what happens behind the scenes
Moderator: Paul Reyes, Editor, VQR
Panelists:
Seyward Darby, Editor in Chief, The Atavist, and NMA 2026 Finalist in Reporting
Ava Kofman, Staff Writer, The New Yorker, and NMA 2026 Finalist in Profile Writing
Elliott Woods, Multimedia Journalist and NMA 2026 Finalist in Reporting for Texas Monthly with Food & Environment Reporting Network

Cutting Through the Slop | Room 4S-228
Creatives explain how magazines and websites are using photography in the age of AI
Moderator: Ivylise Simones, Creative Director, Slate
Panelists:
Alex Pollack, Director of Photography, National Geographic
Elizabeth Renstrom, Photographer and Editor

Steal These Ideas! | Room 4S-216
Print, digital, social, podcasts, videos, events—which tools are top editors using to build successful businesses?
Moderator: Nathan Lump, Senior Vice President and Editor in Chief, National Geographic
Panelists:
Jessica Cruel, Editor in Chief, Allure and SELF
Sid Evans, Editor in Chief, Southern Living
Sam Jacobs, Editor in Chief, TIME

2:50-3:20 pm
Networking Break | Reception Gallery | 5th Floor

3:25-4:10 pm
Magazines and Politics in 2026 | People Inc. Auditorium | 5th Floor
How should magazines and websites respond to an administration and public increasingly hostile to truth telling? Editorial leaders confront the here, now and future
Moderator: Katie Drummond, Global Editorial Director, WIRED
Panelists:
Yoni Appelbaum, Deputy Executive Editor, The Atlantic
Clara Jeffery, Editor in Chief, Mother Jones and the Center for Investigative Reporting
Swati Sharma, Editor in Chief, Vox 

4:15-5:00 pm
The Tom and Taffy Show
Legendary writers meet to talk about their work for magazines and their recent book projects, with an equally legendary editor guiding the conversation
Moderator: David Granger, Senior Agent, Aevitas Creative Management, and Member, ASME Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame
Panelists:
Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Staff Writer, The New York Times Magazine, and NMA 2026 Finalist in Columns and Essays
Tom Junod, Author of “In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man” and 12-Time National Magazine Award Finalist

 

ASME    Columbia Journalism School

National Magazine Awards 2026

Sponsored by the American Society of Magazine Editors in Association With the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
People Inc. Reception Gallery and Auditorium

Cocktail Reception | 5:00–6:30 PM
Awards Presentation | 6:30–8:00 PM

Awards Presentation Hosted By
Alison Overholt, Founder, Good People LLC, and Professor, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Sid Evans, Editor in Chief, Southern Living
Nikki Ogunnaike, Editor in Chief, Marie Claire
Nikhil Swaminathan, Chief Executive Officer, Grist

For more information, email [email protected] or call 212.872.3737