2020 Winners and Finalists

COVER OF THE YEAR

WINNER
New York
“Impeachment Season Begins,” October 14–27, 2019
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Tom Alberty, Designer
Joe Darrow, Illustrator

Best news, sports and entertainment photograph

WINNER
New York
"This Is America," December 23, 2019–January 5, 2020
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Mark Peterson, Photographer

FINALIST
ESPN
“The Fighter,” July 10, 2019
Chin Wang, Senior Creative Director
Rami Moghadam, Designer
Dan Winters, Photographer

FINALIST
The New Yorker
"Show of Force," October 7, 2019
David Remnick, Editor
Danna Singer, Photographer

FINALIST
TIME
“Bearing Witness as Brazil's Amazon Burns,” September 1, 2019
Edward Felsenthal, Editor in Chief and Chief Executive Officer
Sebastián Liste, Photographer

FINALIST
TIME
“Person of the Year: Greta Thunberg,” December 11, 2019
Edward Felsenthal, Editor in Chief and Chief Executive Officer
Evgenia Arbugaeva, Photographer

BEST SERVICE AND LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPH

WINNER
AFAR
“Are We Loving Venice to Death?” May/June 2019
Julia Cosgrove, Vice President and Editor in Chief
Jason Seldon, Designer
Robbie Lawrence, Photographer

FINALIST
AFAR
“Ascent to Happiness,” September/October 2019
Julia Cosgrove, Vice President and Editor in Chief
Taylor Le, Designer
Frédéric Lagrange, Photographer

FINALIST
National Geographic
“Our Addiction to Plastic,” December 2019
Susan Goldberg, Editor in Chief and Editorial Director
Hannah Whitaker, Photographer

FINALIST
New York
"Micro-Workouts," March 20, 2019
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Bobby Doherty, Photographer

FINALIST
WSJ. Magazine
"Mystery Train," June/July 2019
Kristina O'Neill, Editor in Chief
Magnus Berger, Creative Director
Jennifer Pastore, Executive Photography Director
Jamie Hawkesworth, Photographer

Best fashion and beauty photograph

WINNER
New York
"It’s Just a Matter of Time Till Everybody Loves Lizzo," February 3, 2019
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Pari Dukovic, Photographer 

FINALIST
Allure
“Gaga in the Haus,” October 2019
Michelle Lee, Editor in Chief
Daniel Jackson, Photographer 

 FINALIST
Garage
“Zendaya and Simone Leigh Are Going Beyond Beauty,” September 7, 2019
Mark Guiducci, Editor in Chief
Mclayne Ycmat & Joao Moraes, Designers
Ryan McGinley, Photographer 

FINALIST
GQ
“California Love,” March 2019
Will Welch, Editor in Chief
Awol Erizku, Photographer 

FINALIST
GQ
“The Long Adolescence of Lucas Hedges,” March 2019
Will Welch, Editor in Chief
Ryan McGinley, Photographer

Best PROFILE PHOTOGRAPH

WINNER
Billboard
"The Shape-Shifter," January 26, 2019
Hannah Karp, Editorial Director
Nicole Tereza, Designer
Jennifer Martin Laski, Executive Photo and Video Director
Djeneba Aduayom, Photographer 

FINALIST
The California Sunday Magazine
“Her Own Space,” December 1, 2019
Douglas McGray, Editor in Chief
Leo Jung, Designer
Deana Lawson, Photographer 

FINALIST
GQ
“King Weir,” June/July 2019
Will Welch, Editor in Chief
Platon, Photographer

FINALIST
National Geographic
“Stonewall at 50: Stories of Resistance and Resilience,” June 25, 2019
Susan Goldberg, Editor in Chief and Editorial Director
Robin Hammond, Photographer 

FINALIST
SELF
“Taraji P. Henson Takes on Mental Health, Menopause and the Myth of the ‘Strong Black Woman,’” December 3, 2019
Carolyn Kylstra, Editor in Chief
Amber Venerable, Visuals Director
Micaiah Carter, Photographer

Best CONCEPTUAL PHOTOGRAPH

WINNER
The California Sunday Magazine
“The Unknowable Kamala Harris,” June 2, 2019
Douglas McGray, Editor in Chief
Leo Jung, Designer
David Samuel Stern, Illustrator
Celeste Sloman/The New York Times/Redux, Photographer 

FINALIST
AARP The Magazine
“Inside the Social Security Phone Scam,” April/May 2019
Robert Love, Editor in Chief
Lesley Q. Palmer, Art Director
Katrina Zook, Photo Editor
Dan Saelinger, Photographer

FINALIST
Spectrum
“How ‘Social Touch’ Shapes Autism Traits,” May 29, 2019
Apoorva Mandavilli, Editor in Chief
Rebecca Horne, Multimedia Director
Cinyee Chiu, Illustrator
Edwin Tse, Photographer 

FINALIST
Texas Monthly
“The Battle to Rewrite Texas History,” October 2019
Dan Goodgame, Editor in Chief
Emily Kimbro, Designer
David Palumbo, Illustrator
The Voorhes, Photographers 

FINALIST
Women’s Health
“Fertility's Gold Rush,” October 2019
Liz Plosser, Editor in Chief
Raymond Ho, Designer
Victor Prado, Photographer

BEST PHOTO PORTFOLIO

WINNER
National Geographic
“The Immortal Corpse,” January 2019
Susan Goldberg, Editor in Chief and Editorial Director
Lynn Johnson, Photographer

FINALIST
ESPN
“The Body Issue 2019,” September 4, 2019
Chin Wang, Senior Creative Director
Linda Pouder, Designer
Richard Phibbs, Sophy Holland, Benedict Evans, Andrew Hetherington, Peggy Sirota, Mark Williams & Sara Hirakawa, Cory Richards, Marcus Eriksson, Rob Daly, Ramona Rosales, Marcus Smith, Heather Hazzan, Dana Scruggs, Gary Land, Sarah Lee, Peter Hapak, Joe Pugliese, Photographers

FINALIST
Harper’s Bazaar
“Deep Freeze,” September 2019
Glenda Bailey, Editor in Chief
Elizabeth Hummer, Designer
Txema Yeste, Photographer

FINALIST
National Geographic
“A Nation on the Edge,” July 2019
Susan Goldberg, Editor in Chief and Editorial Director
Pascal Maitre, Photographer

FINALIST
TIME
“The Dust Bowl Down Under,” February 21, 2019
Edward Felsenthal, Editor in Chief and Chief Executive Officer
Adam Ferguson, Photographer

BEST PRINT ILLUSTRATION

WINNER
The New Yorker
"Ahab at Home," July 29, 2019
David Remnick, Editor
Carson Ellis, Illustrator 

FINALIST
The Hollywood Reporter
“Netflix Under Pressure,” August 7, 2019
Matthew Belloni, Editorial Director
Peter Cury, Designer
Max Loeffler, Illustrator 

FINALIST
The Hollywood Reporter
“The Oscar Issue,” February 20, 2019
Matthew Belloni, Editorial Director
Peter Cury, Designer
Eddie Guy, Illustrator 

FINALIST
Texas Monthly
“The Tiger King,” June 2019
Dan Goodgame, Editor in Chief
Emily Kimbro, Designer
Max-o-matic, Illustrator 

FINALIST
WIRED
“Star Wars,” December 2019
Nicholas Thompson, Editor in Chief
Alyssa Walker, Designer
DXTR, Illustrator

BEST DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION

WINNER
Longreads
“The Blaming of the Shrew,” February 28, 2019
Mike Dang, Editor in Chief
Zoë van Dijk, Illustrator 

GQ
“‘Send Her Back’ and the Advancement of Trump’s Authoritarian Playbook,” July 19, 2019
Will Welch, Editor in Chief
Alicia Tatone, Illustrator

FINALIST
GQ
“How I Broke My Smartphone Addiction,” November 27, 2019
Will Welch, Editor in Chief
Simon Abranowicz, Illustrator 

FINALIST
The Marshall Project
“The Never-Ending Drug Hustle Behind Bars,” November 7, 2019
Susan Chira, Editor in Chief
Celina Fang, Designer
Olivia Fields, Illustrator

FINALIST
National Geographic
“Centuries-Old Irrigation System Shows How to Manage Scarce Water,” May 17, 2019
Susan Goldberg, Editor in Chief and Editorial Director
Samantha Clark, Designer
Emiliano Ponzi, Illustrator

BEST ILLUSTRATED STORY

WINNER
National Geographic Traveler
“Visions of an Ancient Land,” February/March 2019
George Stone, Editor in Chief
Marianne Seregi, Designer
Christoph Niemann, Illustrator

FINALIST
The Believer
“Cabramatta,” October/November 2019
Joshua Wolf Shenk, Editor in Chief
Kristen Radtke, Art Director
Ivan Safrin, Designer
Matt Huynh, Illustrator 

FINALIST
The Believer
“Weather Reports: Voices from Xinjiang,” October/November 2019
Joshua Wolf Shenk, Editor in Chief
Kristen Radtke, Art Director
Danica Novgorodoff, Illustrator 

FINALIST
The New Yorker
"How to Draw a Horse" December 30, 2019
David Remnick, Editor
Emma Hunsinger, Illustrator

FINALIST
Vox
“Why Humans Kiss, Explained,” December 11, 2019
Benjamin Pauker, Managing Editor, News
Xulin Wang, Illustrator

best news and politics cover

WINNER
New York
“Impeachment Season Begins,” October 14–27, 2019
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Tom Alberty, Designer
Joe Darrow, Illustrator

READERS' CHOICE
Ms.
“Don’t Tread on Us,” Summer 2019
Katherine Spillar, Executive Editor
Brandi Phipps, Designer
Anne Lesniak/Revolution Art Shop, Illustrator

FINALIST
The Atlantic
“How to Stop a Civil War,” December 2019
Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor in Chief
Sam Kaplan, Photographer
Brian Byrne, Stylist

FINALIST
Bloomberg Businessweek
“Hong Kong’s Countdown to 2047,” August 19, 2019
Joel Weber, Editor

FINALIST
The New York Times Magazine
“Boeing,” September 22, 2019
Jake Silverstein, Editor in Chief
Gail Bichler, Design Director
Matt Dorfman, Illustrator

FINALIST
The Washington Post Magazine
“Visualizing Racism,” December 1, 2019
Richard Just, Editor
Christian Font, Designer
Jahi Chikwendiu, Photographer

BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND CELEBRITY COVER

WINNERS (TIE)
The New York Times Magazine
“Madonna at 60,” June 9, 2019
Jake Silverstein, Editor in Chief
Gail Bichler, Design Director
Kathy Ryan, Director of Photographer
JR, Photographer

WINNERS (TIE)
WSJ. Magazine
“The Innovators Issue,” November 2019
Kristina O'Neill, Editor in Chief
Magnus Berger, Creative Director
Jennifer Pastore, Executive Photography Director
Ethan James Green, Photographer

READERS' CHOICE
Billboard
“Blackpink Meets the Red, White and Blue,” March 2, 2019
Hannah Karp, Editorial Director
Nicole Tereza, Designer
Jennifer Martin Laski, Executive Photo and Video Director
Alexandra Gavillet, Photographer

FINALIST

GQ
“The New Masculinity Issue,” November 2019
Will Welch, Editor in Chief
Rob Vargas, Designer
Alicia Tatone, Illustrator
Micaiah Carter, Photographer

FINALIST

Rolling Stone
“Billie Eilish: Triumph of the Weird,” August 2019
Jason Fine, Editor
Joseph Hutchinson, Designer
Catriona Ni Aolain, Director of Creative Content
Petra Collins, Photographer

FINALIST

WSJ. Magazine
“The Innovators Issue,” November 2019
Kristina O'Neill, Editor in Chief
Magnus Berger, Creative Director
Jennifer Pastore, Executive Photography Director
Campbell Addy, Photographer

BEST BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY COVER

WINNER
The New Yorker
“Evolution,” September 30, 2019
David Remnick, Editor
Christoph Niemann, Illustrator

READERS' CHOICE
FN (Footwear News)
“Balvin’s Bold Breakout Hit,” December 2, 2019
Michael Atmore, Editorial Director
Jessica Fitzgerald, Designer
Andy Boyle; David Barajas; Emmanuel Fradin, Photographers

FINALIST
Bloomberg Businessweek
“The Apology Machine,” March 18, 2019
Joel Weber, Editor

FINALIST

MIT Technology Review
“The Space Issue,” July/August 2019
Gideon Lichfield, Editor in Chief
Emily Luong and Eric Mongeon, Designers
Bob O'Connor, Photographer

FINALIST

New York
“The Golden Age of Pods,” March 18-31, 2019
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Tom Alberty, Designer
Bobby Doherty, Photographer

FINALIST

New York
“What Instagram Did to Me,” September 16-29, 2019
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Tom Alberty, Designer
Eva O’Leary, Photographer

FINALIST
The New York Times Magazine
“The Tech & Design Issue,” November 17, 2019
Jake Silverstein, Editor in Chief
Gail Bichler, Design Director
Kathy Ryan, Director of Photography
Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, Photo Illustration

BEST SERVICE AND LIFESTYLE COVER

WINNER
New York
“Marriage: An Investigation,” April 1-14, 2019
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Tom Alberty, Designer

READERS' CHOICE
Concealed Carry
“The .380 Issue,” October 2019
Kevin Michalowski, Executive Editor
Dusty Reid and Ken Wangler, Designers and Photographers

FINALIST

New York
“An Entire Issue With Nothing About Trump!” July 8-21, 2019
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Tom Alberty, Designer
David Williams, Photographer

FINALIST

The New York Times Magazine
“The New York Issue,” June 2, 2019
Jake Silverstein, Editor in Chief
Gail Bichler, Design Director
Kathy Ryan, Director of Photography
Brenda Ann Kenneally, Photographer

FINALIST

Texas Monthly
“Honky Tonks!” September 2019
Dan Goodgame, Editor in Chief
Emily Kimbro, Designer
LeAnn Mueller, Photographer

FINALIST

UCLA Magazine
“The Trouble With Vaping,” January 2020
Peg Moline, Editorial Director
Suzannah Mathur, Art Director
Rachael Lieberman, Contributing Photo Director
Justin Fantl, Photographer

BEST SPORTS AND FITNESS COVER

WINNER
The New York Times Magazine
“The Women of Big-Wave Surfing,” February 10, 2019
Jake Silverstein, Editor in Chief
Gail Bichler, Design Director
Kathy Ryan, Director of Photography
Dina Litovsky, Photographer

READERS' CHOICE

Challenge
“Kirstie Ennis Tackling Mountains,” Spring 2019
Shuan Butcher, Editorial Director
RSPR, Designer
Tim Kolczak, Photographer

FINALIST
The California Sunday Magazine
“Cheerleaders,” June 2, 2019
Douglas McGray, Editor in Chief
Leo Jung, Designer
Natalie Keyssar, Photographer

FINALIST

ESPN
“Body 2019: Liz Cambage,” October 2019
Chin Wang, Senior Creative Director
Sophy Holland, Photographer

FINALIST

ESPN
“Body 2019: Alex Honnold,” October 2019
Chin Wang, Senior Creative Director
Cory Richards, Photographer

FINALIST

Sports Illustrated
“Sportsperson of the Year: Megan Rapinoe,” December 16-23, 2019
Stephen Cannella and Ryan Hunt, Co Editors-in-Chief
Stephen Skalocky, Designer
Jeffery A. Salter, Photographer

BEST FASHION AND BEAUTY COVER

WINNER AND READERS' CHOICE
Vanity Fair
“For the Love of Lupita Nyong’o,” October 2019
Radhika Jones, Editor in Chief
Jackie Nickerson, Photographer

FINALIST

Allure
“Lizzo,” March 6, 2019
Michelle Lee, Editor in Chief
Luke Gilford, Photographer

FINALIST 

Marie Claire
Anne Morrow Fulenwider, Editor in Chief
“The Obsession Issue,” September 2019
Wanyi Jiang, Designer
Thomas Whiteside, Photographer

FINALIST

New York
“Spring Fashion in the Age of Influence,” February 4-17, 2019
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Tom Alberty, Designer
Pari Dukovic, Photographer

FINALIST

Teen Vogue
“Millie Bobby Brown: Without Limitations,” July/August 2019
Lindsay Peoples Wagner, Editor in Chief
Ronan Mckenzie, Photographer

BEST TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE COVER

WINNER
The California Sunday Magazine
“Death of a Glacier,” April 7, 2019
Douglas McGray, Editor in Chief
Leo Jung, Designer
Nicholas Albrecht, Photographer

READERS' CHOICE
Virtuoso Life
“Food and Wine Issue,” November/December 2019
Elaine Srnka, Vice President of Content
Melanie Fowler, Designer
Rob Wilson, Illustrator

FINALIST

National Geographic
“The Ultimate Climb,” February 2019
Susan Goldberg, Editor in Chief and Editorial Director
Jimmy Chin, Photographer

FINALIST

New York
“The Overlooked Islands of New York,” August 19-September 1, 2019
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Tom Alberty, Designer
Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao, Photographer

FINALIST

VICE
“The Profiles Issue: The Other 2020,” November 2019
Ellis Jones, Editor in Chief
Reto Sterchi, Photographer

FINALIST

WSJ. Magazine
“The Sistine Chapel,” April 2019
Kristina O'Neill, Editor in Chief
Magnus Berger, Creative Director
Esmé René, Contributing Photo Director
Robert Polidori, Photographer

MOST DELICIOUS COVER

  
WINNER
Bon Appétit
“The Holiday Issue,” December 2019/January 2020
Adam Rapoport, Editor in Chief
Chris Cristiano and Michele Outland, Designers
Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, Photographers

READERS' CHOICE
Bon Appétit
“The Holiday Issue,” December 2019/January 2020
Adam Rapoport, Editor in Chief
Chris Cristiano and Michele Outland, Designers
Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, Photographers

FINALIST

Chicago
“Best of Chicago,” August 2019
Susanna Homan, Editor in Chief and Publisher
Katherine Bryja Shady, Designer
Jason Little, Photographer

FINALIST

Garden & Gun
“Barbecue Nation!” August/September 2019
David DiBenedetto, Editor in Chief
Marshall McKinney, Designer
LeAnn Mueller, Photographer

FINALIST

Southern Living
“The Spirit of Christmas,” December 2019
Sid Evans, Editor in Chief
Robert Perino, Designer
Victor Protasio, Photographer

FINALIST

Texas Monthly
“The Great Whiskey Boom!” November 2019
Dan Goodgame, Editor in Chief
Emily Kimbro, Designer
Nick Cabrera, Photographer

BEST ILLUSTRATED COVER

WINNER
The New York Times Magazine
“The Climate Issue,” April 14, 2019
Jake Silverstein, Editor in Chief
Gail Bichler, Design Director
Pablo Delcan, Illustrator

READERS' CHOICE

McSweeney's Quarterly Concern
“2040 A.D.,” Issue 58
Claire Boyle, Editor
Sunra Thompson, Designer
Wesley Allsbrook, Illustrator

FINALIST

The New Yorker
“Heat Wave,” September 2, 2019
David Remnick, Editor
Kadir Nelson, Illustrator

FINALIST

Poetry
September 2019
Don Share, Editor
Armando Veve, Illustrator

FINALIST

TIME
“Painted Into a Corner,” October 7, 2019
Edward Felsenthal, Editor in Chief and Chief Executive Officer
Edel Rodriguez, Illustrator

FINALIST

TIME
“2050: How Earth Survived,” September 23, 2019
Edward Felsenthal, Editor in Chief and Chief Executive Officer
Sand sculpture by Toshihiko Hosaka

MOST CONTROVERSIAL COVER

WINNER
New York
“A Year in America,” December 23, 2019-January 5, 2020
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Tom Alberty, Designer
Mark Peterson, Photographer

READERS' CHOICE
VICE
“The Photo Issue 2019,” July 2019
Ellis Jones, Editor in Chief
Todd Midler, Photographer

FINALIST
New York
“This Is What I Was Wearing 23 Years Ago When Donald Trump Attacked Me in a Bergdorf Goodman Dressing Room,” June 24-July 7, 2019
David Haskell, Editor in Chief
Tom Alberty, Designer
Amanda Demme, Photographer

FINALIST

Playboy
“Gender and Sexuality,” Summer 2019
Liz Suman, Executive Editor
Ed Freeman, Photographer

FINALIST

POZ
“Undetectable Equals Untransmittable,” March 2019
Oriol R. Gutierrez Jr., Editor in Chief

FINALIST

TIME
“First Family,” May 13, 2019
Edward Felsenthal, Editor in Chief and Chief Executive Officer
Ryan Pfluger, Photographer

READERS' CHOICE AWARDS

WINNER
Billboard
“Blackpink Meets the Red, White and Blue,” March 2, 2019
Hannah Karp, Editorial Director
Nicole Tereza, Designer
Jennifer Martin Laski, Executive Photo and Video Director
Alexandra Gavillet, Photographer

FINALIST

FN (Footwear News)
“Balvin’s Bold Breakout Hit,” December 2, 2019
Michael Atmore, Editorial Director
Jessica Fitzgerald, Designer
Andy Boyle; David Barajas; Emmanuel Fradin, Photographers

FINALIST

Ms.
“Don’t Tread on Us,” Summer 2019
Katherine Spillar, Executive Editor
Brandi Phipps, Designer
Anne Lesniak/Revolution Art Shop, Illustrator

FINALIST

Rolling Stone
“Harry Styles: Sex, Psychedelics, and the Secrets of Stardom,” September 2019
Jason Fine, Editor
Joseph Hutchinson, Designer
Ryan McGinley, Photographer

FINALIST

Rolling Stone
“Taylor Swift: The Rolling Stone Interview,” October 2019
Jason Fine, Editor
Joseph Hutchinson, Designer
Erik Madigan Heck, Photographer