FEATURE WRITING
Honors original, stylish magazine storytelling

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

Sarah Topol reported across four continents and eight countries to tell the story of Anna and Ivan, a young Russian couple who had hoped to avoid the impact of the war in Ukraine, even though Ivan was an officer in the army. At 35,000 words, “The Deserter” achieves an almost Tolstoyan quality, telling the story of a generation, and a society, that is both perpetrator and victim of Putin's war. Creatively illustrated and presented by the Times Magazine, Topol's piece shows what narrative journalism can do.

FINALISTS

Deseret
Jesse Hyde, Editor
Edited by James Ross Gardner
“Alone,” by Natalia Galicza, June

Esquire
Michael Sebastian, Editor in Chief
Edited by Ryan D'Agostino
“The Invisible Man,” by Patrick Fealey, Winter 2024/2025

The Marshall Project
Susan Chira, Editor in Chief
“The Hardest Case for Mercy,” by Joe Sexton, September 17

The New Yorker
David Remnick, Editor
Edited by Willing Davidson
“You Won’t Get Free of It,” by Rachel Aviv, December 30, 2024 & January 6, 2025

Switchyard with The Food & Environment Reporting Network
Ted Genoways, Editor, Switchyard
Theodore Ross, Editor in Chief, The Food & Environment Reporting Network
“Power Failure: On Landscape and Abandonment,” by Mya Frazier, December 21 at switchyardmag.com

The Washington Post
Matt Murray, Executive Editor
Edited by Steve Kolowich
“The Hero,” by Dan Zak, March 27