Judges comments: Very nice use of statistics and application of current trends to the industry and reader. Good variety of articles and unique approaches to familiar topics. Interesting and useful format in tabbing of sections and integrating articles with each, including useful how-to and step-by-step articles. Nice photography.

Judges comments: This magazine provides useful and interesting information, incorporating local angles and larger trends, to do a great job in fulfilling its mission and serving its reader. Photography is pleasing and the variety of articles takes the publication well beyond the typical bridal magazine.

Judges comments: This magazine fulfills its mission very well - providing good information to take the hunter to the next level. Though I have little knowledge of waterfowl/retriever hunting myself, I found several of the articles interesting. The callouts are enticing and the interaction great (e.g., asking readers to respond if they disagree with the article). Great fit with intended audience.

Judges comments: The relatively small editorial team's passion for their work is evident in this fun, spirited read covering a wide range of topics.

Judges comments: Solid editorial that effectively meets the mission of covering "the full spectrum of the outdoors." Functional design with good photography.

Judges comments: This profile---of both a former corporate executive and the vineyard he founded---takes its audience outside their typical boundaries for a fresh take on some tools of their trade.

Judges comments: Candid comments from industry experts help demonstrate how the profile's subject views and responds to business challenges and controversies. It doesn't just tell readers how the man manages his company; it shows them with detailed examples.

Judges comments: This profile reflects the personality of its subject---it mentions the cause of his quadriplegia and the resulting limitations but doesn't dwell on them. Instead of simply inducing sympathy in readers, "Broken" communicates the energy its subject expends.

Judges comments: Who knew Gregg Allman really wanted to be a dentist? In addition to a clever title, this profile offers readers a warts-and-all look at the rock-n-roll musician's motivations, missteps, and achievements.

Charlotte Magazine - Feb 2010

Judges comments: This could easily have been a preachy piece about the threat of drinking water contamination. Instead, through well-chosen vignettes and quotes, it takes readers into the office, the boat, and the mind of a man intent on preserving a region's natural resources.

Site Selection - www.siteselection.com

Judges comments: “Site Selection” was chosen as the gold winner for its top-notch editorial content, its compelling graphics, and its clear and easy website navigation. All online magazines should look at this magazine as an wonderful example of how to make the web as attractive to readers as a print magazine.

Judges comments: The writer was able to weave together what was the biggest story of the region, correlations to her industry, and personal details that made for a riveting read. All three of these elements were most certainly timely and important to the readers.

Judges comments: This is not only a sweet reminiscence of what it means to be a parent but an inspiring essay for any reader, not just for the metro-Atlanta region.

Judges comments: This essay proved to be informative as well as emotional. The writer’s recollections of the time and of the work To Kill A Mockingbird clearly met the mark when comparing the piece to the publication’s mission.

Garden & Gun - Aug / Sep 2010

Judges comments: Personal histories plus substantive information make for great essays. This piece could be the benchmark.

In the Mix - Winter Vol 26

Judges comments: "The angles and the lighting make the photos really pop and feel alive."

Professional Photographer - June 2010

Judges comments: "The use of lighting and contrast creates such beautiful and raw emotions. The passionate feelings behind the images are evident—each image tells a lengthy story without words."

Habitat World - Dec 2010

Judges comments: "The images that graced the pages of Habitat World's feature What Will You Build, not only told the story visually but told the story with color, flavor, insight and emotion. All the ingredients needed to really make a story come to life in ones eyes."

Judges comments: It is not often I come across magazine photography that  makes me stop and appreciate the art of it. South Magazine's Street Chic created an essay filled with incredible imagination and creativity. The images are fresh, joyous and has reminded me that there are indeed still so many great ideas out there to be made into great photography. Outstanding.

Judges comments: The thoughtfulness of these wonderful portraits of animals, the sheer beauty of them made me stop and admire each image carefully. What amazed me is that the photographer made me think that he spoke their language, asked them to pose and calmly, they did.

Judges comments: This is a fantastic magazine, with the great cover and paper stock. They use and control color throughout the book very well. The entire book is well organized and thoughtfully laid out. Each page has a good ratio of white space, imagery and text. They of course have gorgeous photography, but use it strategically/well edited. They have therefore chosen strong, modern and simple typography that does not fight with the photos; it is clean, reader-friendly, and engaging.

Judges comments: Again, fabulous cover and paper stock. The art direction is fantastic, well thought out, and cohesive--they have really developed their own style and look. Their typography is very original, highly designed, and executed perfectly. Every page has a perfect use of space, text and imagery. There are many points of entry on each page, and therefore very engaging--you can't wait to read it. They have a clear, clean, Front of Book, Well, and Back of Book, one can page through the book with ease. The layouts are designed to not only inspire but do provide a great service to the reader--it has a great "vibe" and "energy" of its own. The ad/edit juxtaposition is also very good and well thought out.

Judges comments: Again, fabulous cover and paper stock. I have many of the same comments as above, absolutely fantastic art direction, well thought out, and cohesive, they have really developed their own style and look. They have wonderful typography--clean and sophisticated. Each page/layout is engaging, strategically designed, and perfectly executed. They have top-notch photography and usage in the magazine is superb. The images throughout are inspiring and engaging. They too, have a clear, clean, Front of Book, Well, and Back of Book, one can page through the book with ease. The ad/edit juxtaposition is also very good and well thought out (and luckily have great looking ads). As their tag line reads--Soul of the South, the entire magazine is true to this--you can feel the "soul" throughout the book both visually and editorially. A stunning magazine!

Judges comments: The PPA Business Handbook sets the gold standard for service journalism.  Targeting its readership with laser-sharp precision, PPA gives photographers exactly what they need to profitably run their business. With precise writing, easy to read format and succinct packaging it delivers actionable advice presented in a variety of formulas. Bravo!
 

Atlanta Parent Magazine - Oct 2010

Judges comments: Atlanta Parent strikes the perfect balance of anecdote, stats and advice; it arms the reader with information about keeping their teen drivers safe and then gives them the next steps to take to implement the directions the article recommends.

Judges comments: In a tight race -- all entries were great examples of service journalism -- Arthritis Today proved once again that it sets the bar on knowing its reader, presenting relevant information in spot-on reporting and organization that packages the piece in a so

Judges comments: With it's scary image of the underwater home, Georgie Realtor magazine has designed a cover that commands attention and gets its message across, loud and clear. Subtlety isn't its strong suit and it's all the better for it.

Professional Photographer - Jul 2010

Judges comments: This cover didn't take the gold solely due to the fact that there's an absolutely darling photo of a beatific baby on it, but it really, really helped. The photo aside, this cover is more than the sum of its parts.

Judges comments: With the direct gaze of its subject, No'Ala's Sept/Oct issue offers a compelling image that invites the reader into the cover story and entices them to see who are the beautiful among them…and just what the "Few Dogs" look like.

Judges comments: The success of this cover is not just that it runs against traditional southern motifs and expectations, it's that it, among the series produced by South Magazine for the Aug/Sept issue, is fun, lively and beautifully executed. From the layered typography to the over the top photo with it's rockabilly model, double fisting a hookah, it takes on all convention and stakes a claim of "screw you and your time honored past" and it delivers on its promise.

Garden & Gun - Aug / Sep 2010

Judges comments: Despite it's more than unusual pairing of topics, Garden & Gun has realized a world class cover with excellent typography and a beautiful, easygoing photograph that come together in an effortless combination that is both elegant and disarming.

Judges comments: Well written. Good word flow and background mixed with information necessary for reading audience.

Judges comments: Smooth writing that covers both the subject of photography, the person taking the photos and the business aspect of the business.

Judges comments: Revealing the somewhat messy, though delightfully adorable, details of the campus’ underground feline community, Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine convincingly elevates the plight of these feral companions and the human efforts to promote health, safety and good will.

The Georgia Review, Cadaver, Speak – Summer 2010

Judges comments: Marianne Boruch’s poetic expression quietly soars with a caustic and creepy, yet essential unveiling of the human condition through—of all things—an autopsy. Thoroughly original, “Cadaver, Speak” ventures beyond the naked and raw to peel back the ambitions and dreams not only of the 99-year-old protagonist but also of the medical students, whom we can “hear” working and whose unease and triumphs we feel. How wondrous a dichotomy to disclose life through rot.

Judges comments: Portraying a Romantic world that, today, feels centuries old, Guy de la Valdene’s first-person narrative warmly grapples with his “lifelong pursuit of sport” through vignettes of Old World charm, African big game hunting and bourgeois class machinations. Suitably complemented by illustrations of multi-gradational greys and browns, de la Valdene’s essay explores his complicated passion for partridges as his childhood memories of the French countryside explode. The simple life is replete with elaborate sensory images and is at once a celebration and a melancholia.

Judges comments: Excellent coverage of emerging industry trends complements Industrial Engineer's in-depth feature offerings. Clearly, this editorial team knows its readers and their information needs. Content is provocative, readable and timely. "On the Boards" is a great way to incorporate social networks in a print product, further encouraging reader interaction.

Judges comments: Readers speak loudly and clearly in this issue of Professional Photographer, bringing out the best among the unique people in the industry. For example, "Roadside Families" is a great fit with the issue's editorial theme, providing a quick hit for readers to steal a great idea. Technical content meets readers on their level as professionals. What's most impressive is the prescriptive nature of the features—the hallmark of a great B2B pub.

Habitat World, What Will You Buy? - December 2010

Judges comments: This slender (32-page) volume belies the abundant information it contains about Habitat for Humanity's global efforts to build homes and improve living conditions. Well-written and smartly designed, Habitat World makes the link between individual stories of those living in substandard housing, such as a 63-year-old Paraguayan farmer whose family's bathroom is an improvised latrine, and the larger contributing issues such as poverty, pollution, dirty water, natural catastrophes, and war.

Atlanta Parent Magazine - January 2010

Judges comments: It might be published on newspaper-grade paper, but Atlanta Parent is a highly polished product, packed with useful information about navigating the tricky terrain of parenthood. The stories in this education-focused issue cover the gamut, from how to break up winter boredom (can you say "Scavenger Hunt"?) to how to help children boost their learning potential. The design is simple, but that's not the point with Atlanta Parent, whose tightly written stories take a comprehensive approach in exploring a wide range of school-related topics.

The Georgia Review, Fall 2010

Judges comments: This collection of essays, fiction, poetry, reviews, and art provides evidence aplenty why The Georgia Review has earned its place among the very best English-language literary journals. What sets this issue apart is its tribute to the Georgia-born writer Raymond Andrews (1934-91)—"the most extended focus on an individual writer" in the magazine's 64 years. It includes correspondence between Andrews and the writer Gary Gildner (former college roommates who reconnected after 30 years), recollections by fellow writers, and unpublished stories by Andrews. The prose is engaging and illuminating—and that's just half the book.

Garden & Gun, December/January 2010

Judges comments: It's hard not to gush about a magazine that does everything well. Garden & Gun publishes sharply written profiles, trend stories, and travel pieces, illustrates them with lush photography, and presents the whole package in a design that's fun to look at. This issue, with a covery story "Hidden Florida," features the magazine's "Made in the South" contest and includes stories on hunting camps in Mississippi, the rise of Dallas as an art capital, and Kentucky roommates who founded a magazined devoted to Bourbon. There's a whiff of Texas Monthly in these pages, a taste of Saveur, a trace of National Geographic—so dead-on is Garden & Gun's sense both of place and of mission. Yes, I'm gushing.

TechNation - January, April, December 2010

Judges comments:  Creative, compelling covers; excellent writing; strong typography; very clean page layouts; well organized magazine layout.

Professional Photographer - January, April, July 2010

Judges comments: Dramatic covers, strong writing with superior storytelling and vocabulary, exceptionally clean layouts and readable type, highly practical content.

Judges comments: Habitat World stays true to its mission throughout each issue. The use of white space, solid typography and compelling imagery solidly engage the reader. The entire magazine is written with passion and easy to read. The design is excellent and does not get in the way of the message.
 

Judges comments: Atlanta Parent does a great job providing useful and compelling information for today's parent. I was impressed by the design and the quality of photography and typogrraphy at every level. When working with newsprint this is a definite challenge that they overcome.

South Magazine, Feb/Mar, Aug/Sept, Dec/Jan 2010

Judges comments: What sets South Magazine apart is the beauty of its design, the polished writing and the stunning photography. There was much here in each issue for readers to dive into: coverage of the arts, fascinating profiles and a great calendar of events. Makes you want to move to Savannah.

Garden & Gun - April/May '10, Aug./Sept. '10, Dec./Jan. '10

Judges comments: Hot damn! What a magazine! I sopped up the stories (my favorites were The Clementine Hunter Caper and The New Frontier of Country Ham) and the spot-on photos and the WOW design like I was once again at my grandma's table dining on cat head biscuits and brown gravy. Kudos for creating one fine read. Your readers are very well served.