2004 Sappi PICA winners - 'Good Taste' prevails

The emergence of a distinctively South African design ethos; a keen ability to interpret our market and either deliver home-grown titles; or localise big international names to meet uniquely South African tastes and conditions; and the identification and exploitation of new and viable niches in the SA market, were some of the key trends to emerge from the Magazine Association of South Africa (MPASA)'s 2004 SAPPI PICA Awards.

Wine-of-the-Month Club's 'Good Taste' magazine, for its 22 000 club members, scooped both the coveted SAPPI PICA Philip Tyler Trophy for Innovation in Magazine Publishing and the award for SAPPI PICA Best Customer Magazine. Sassy teen queen newcomer, 'Seventeen', took the honours for SAPPI PICA Best Consumer Magazine and VISI Colour by Plascon won the SAPPI PICA Excellence in Magazine Design award.

Now in their 35th year, the SAPPI PICA Awards are the only industry accolade that recognises all aspects of publishing excellence in the magazine industry. Magazines are evaluated on their editorial and design content as well as the calibre of their total marketing process.

"The quality of finalist publications in this year's awards was truly exceptional. The diversity of the winning titles - which ranged from fairly new publications that had sniffed out a niche and delivered precisely to its needs, to older ones that had gone back to the drawing board and rethought their strategy to spectacular effect - was particularly satisfying," says chief judge and award-winning journalist, Taweni Gondwe.

"There are new titles that have simply dropped in on the scene and taken our collective breath away, as well as some repeat winners that have maintained excellence and consolidated their offering to readers while resisting the ease of going the formulaic route."

According to Gondwe, high calibre, experienced judges, who, this year in addition to being drawn from the publishing industry, included relevant disciplines such as advertising, marketing and design, contributed significantly to ensuring that the awards in all categories reflected the superb standards - from content to packaging to marketing strategy - of this year's entries.

"We keep talking about reaching international standards in publishing excellence. In fact, we are setting some of those right here," Gondwe emphasises.

Britta Reid, media director of Media Compete and one of the SAPPI PICA Premier Awards judges, concurs with Gondwe. She says that a mark of local publishing excellence currently is the fact that if the SAPPI PICA category winners were placed side by side with overseas publications, it would be difficult to identify the local publications. "In some instances I would go so far as to say that, in terms of international titles, the local editions surpass their overseas counterparts. SA SoccerLife 442 would be a case in point where the local edition has a superior sophistication compared with its overseas equivalent."

The winners in all the categories are:

SAPPI PICA TRADITIONAL AWARDS

1. The Award for Innovation in Magazine Publishing: Philip Tyler Trophy

For the publication that is most innovative in its approach to any sector and displays publishing insight that results in a product that pushes the boundaries and the imagination on all levels (concept, content, positioning, editorial, design and marketing). This may be a new publication, or one that has made changes to meet the needs of a section of the market, or even a printed brand extension.

Winner: Good Taste by Converge (Pty) Ltd
Highly Commended: Taste by New Media / Saltwater Girl by Atoll Media

2. Award for Excellence in Magazine Design

For any publication that, in the opinion of the judges, has shown originality and creative design innovation.

Winner: VISI Colour by Plascon by New Media
Highly Commended: Elle Decoration by Johnnic Communications

SAPPI PICA PREMIER AWARDS

The following Awards do not require individual entries, but consist of three overall winners. The entries that win individual categories within the three sectors are entered automatically into the following categories:

1. Best Customer Magazine

Winner: Good Taste by Converge (Pty) Ltd

2. Best Business- to-Business Magazine: Watling Trophy

Winner: Screen Africa by Sun Circle Publishers

3. Best Consumer Magazine: Rossi Trophy

Winner: Seventeen by 8-Ink Media

SAPPI PICA CONSUMER MAGAZINE AWARDS

This refers to those publications with more than 75% of circulation targeted at
consumers and the magazines must be sold either off-shelf or through independent subscription.

1. Home, Decor and Gardening

Winner: VISI by New Media
Highly Commended: Elle Decoration by Johnnic Communications

2. Men's Magazines

Winner: Men's Health by Touchline Media
Highly Commended: FHM by Uppercase Media

3. General Interest News and Entertainment Magazines

Winner: You by Media24
Highly Commended: Insig by New Media

4. Sport

Winner: SoccerLife 442 by Johnnic Communications
Highly Commended: Bicycling South Africa by Touchline Media

5. Travel, Wildlife and Leisure Interests

Winner: Africa Geographic by Black Eagle Publishing
Highly Commended: No Award

6. Parenting

Winner: Your Baby by Alchemy Publishing
Highly Commended: Your Pregnancy by Alchemy Publishing

7. Spirituality

Winner: Finesse by Carpe Diem Media
Highly Commended: O, The Oprah Magazine by Associated Magazines

8. Business

Winner: Finance Week by Media24
Highly Commended: Landbouweekblad by Media24

9. Youth

Winner: Seventeen by 8-Ink Media
Highly Commended: Saltwater Girl by Atoll Media

10. Motoring

Winner: Car by Ramsay Son & Parker
Highly Commended: Drive Out by New Media

11. Women's General Interest

Winner: Fairlady by Media24
Highly Commended: Cosmopolitan by Associated Magazines

12. Women's Special Interest

Winner: Elle by Johnnic Communications
Highly Commended: No Award

13. Annuals and Special Editions

Winner: Kick Off 2003/2004 by Touchline Media
Premier League Guide
Highly Commended: Eat In by New Media

14. Supplements

Winner: FHM - Collections by Uppercase Media
Highly Commended: Your Baby - Emergency Handbook by Alchemy Publishing

SAPPI PICA CUSTOMER MAGAZINE AWARDS

This refers to publications produced specifically for or by an organisation for its customers/members.

1. Business-to-business

Winner: Foresight by New Media
Highly Commended: No Award

2. Retail and Consumer Goods

Winner: Taste by New Media
Highly Commended: Off Limits by New Media

3. Hospitality, Tourism and Travel

Winner: Good Taste by Converge (Pty) Ltd
Highly Commended: No Award

4. Health, Fitness and Sport

Winner: Discovery by Touchline Media
Highly Commended: Fifteen by Highbury Monarch Communications

5. Entertainment and Arts

Winner: Design Indaba by Interactive Africa
Highly Commended: No Award

6. Leisure and lifestyle

Winner: Mercedes by New Media
Highly Commended: Icon by The Publishing Partnership

7. Annuals, Directories, Product Guides and Supplements

Winner: SA Livestock Breeding 2004 by Johnnic Communications
Highly Commended: Nedbank Golf Challenge by The Publishing Partnership

SAPPI PICA BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS MAGAZINE AWARDS

This refers to publications serving the information needs of specific business sectors.

1. Business Management, Information and Communication Technology,
Marketing
Winner: Screen Africa by Sun Circle Publishers
Highly Commended: AdVantage by Primedia Publishing

2. Civil Construction, Building and Infrastructural Development

Winner: Water, Sewage and Effluent by Brooke Pattrick Publication
Highly Commended: No Award

3. Mining and Quarrying

Winner: Mining Mirror by Brooke Pattrick Publications
Highly Commended: No Award

4. Engineering - Electrical, Waste Management and Other

Winner: RéSource by Shorten Publications
Highly Commended: No Award

5. Hospitality, Travel and Tourism

Winner: Southern African Tourism Update by Now Media
Highly Commended: Hospitality by Johnnic Communications

6. Retail

Winner: Front Shop by Primedia Publishing
Highly Commended: Supermarket & Retailer by Supermarket & Retailer

7. Medical, Rescue, Safety and Security

Winner: No Award
Highly Commended: Servamus by SARP Publishers

8. Farming, Agricultural Produce and Equipment, Irrigation and Horticulture

Winner: No Award
Highly Commended: SA Irrigation by Shorten Publications / The Dairy Mail by The Dairy Mail

9. Other Specialist Titles

Winner: De Rebus by Law Society of SA
Highly Commended: Pursuit Clothing & Textile by Johnnic Communication /
Transport World Africa by Shorten Publications

10. Annuals, Special Editions, Product Guides and Supplements

Winner: Architechnology by Brooke Patrick Publications
Highly Commended: MIMS Anaesthesia and Critical Care by Johnnic Communications