ASME NEXT AWARDS FOR JOURNALISTS UNDER 30
Established by the American Society of Magazine Editors to support the development of print and digital media, these awards honor outstanding achievement by early-career journalists

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

In his first two years at the Atlantic, said the ASME NEXT Awards judges, Andrew Aoyama was tapped to work on Caitlin Dickerson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation on the first Trump administration’s family-separation policy and Jake Tapper’s cover story that led to the exoneration of a young man unjustly convicted of attempted murder. Aoyama now serves as deputy managing editor of the magazine, shepherding complicated, high-impact stories through a rigorous editing process with uncommon wisdom and poise.

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

Described as a preternatural talent by her colleagues, Marella Gayla has earned the trust of The New Yorker’s most celebrated writers thanks to her judgment and skill as an editor. She is known both for finding new voices and pushing accomplished writers in new directions. Gayla’s ability to develop deep relationships with New Yorker contributors has produced memorable work, from an essay on the retelling of Vincent Chin’s murder to a clear-eyed take on Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.

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

Alphonse Pierre chronicles the latest in rap with an authority and fervor—not to mention a spirit of provocation—that reflects a deep understanding of hip-hop’s history, coupled with a commitment to painting a sharp, unsanitized picture of its present. Pierre does not mince words, and he does not look at music making from a distance. He writes about hip-hop and rap not only as a critic but as a listener who is living alongside his subject, enthralled by the work of the artists who are growing the genre 50 years after its birth.

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

Mia Sato is an extraordinarily gifted reporter, storyteller and observer of the online age. These skills are evident in her compelling and highly readable work for The Verge, from a feature story about warring Amazon influencers ("So," she asks, "who influenced whom?") to an exploration of the creeping deployment of AI in one well-known tech-reporting empire. Sato tackles some of the toughest, thorniest topics—private equity, the Internet, capitalism—with remarkable skill and verve.

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

It’s rare to possess the unique set of skills necessary to become a top-flight long-form editor—an editor capable of shepherding a 12,000-word draft about the Ecuadorian narco-state into a propulsively readable finished feature. It’s rarer still to possess these skills in one’s twenties, as Kylie Warner does. Warner also has something extra: a deep knowledge of global affairs that serves her well at The Economist’s 1843 Magazine, where the world is her beat. The future of narrative journalism is secure in Warner’s confident hands.