Pica says magazine market is booming

This is the overall consensus from the judges of the 2005 Magazine Publishers Association of South Africa (MPASA) Sappi Pica Awards which was held at Vodaworld on 10 November 2005. Now in its 36th year, the Sappi Pica Awards is the only industry accolade that recognises excellence in magazine publishing.

Sappi Pica chairperson, Elizabeth Shorten, says: "After much deliberation by the judging panel, thirty-eight awards were presented across three principal categories - Customer, Business-to-Business and Consumer magazines - and include the Traditional Awards category, which consists of the Philip Tyler Trophy for Innovation in Magazine Publishing and The Award for Excellence in Magazine Design.

"This year's winning entries most effectively serve their intended audience and reflect an outstanding level of interactivity, journalistic integrity and innovative visual presentation."

New Media's Insig Magazine emerged as one of the big winners of the night, taking home the coveted Premier Award in the Consumer title category. On the winner of this category, journalist Les Aupiais says: "Insig showed a high standard of consistency, synergy and focus, with stories that demanded to be read. The pictorial content was extremely good and the layout elegant and sophisticated. It simply stood out from other submissions, it didn't matter if you were Afrikaans-speaking or not."

Media 24 title, Finance Week, was highly commended in this category.

The Property Magazine, published by Media Nova, won the Award for Innovation in Magazine Publishing. Good Taste Magazine and Salt Water Girl were highly commended in this category. Julia Raphaely, Business Director of Associated Magazines, says of this category: "Innovation in magazine publishing is one of the most interesting PICA categories to judge because of the dynamic magazine market in South Africa. Publishers are continuing to develop unique approaches in their quest to increase market share and this is good news for the sector."

The Premier Award for best Business-to-Business publication went to The Dairy Mail. Judging this category was Sue Grant-Marshall of My Word! Media: "The Dairy Mail communicated an effective, clear and powerful message to reach its target market. The magazine proves that in the South African magazine industry, only the fittest will survive, not necessarily the biggest."

The Award for Excellence in Magazine Design went to New Media's Visi Magazine. Sappi Pica judge and independent media consultant Gordon Muller says: "There is a fine line between value for money in terms of content and editorial claustrophobia. The winning title Visi and highly commended Woolworth's Taste Magazine had a discernable balance between visual bytes and relevant copy and this balance was maintained by an innovative use of white space."

Good Taste Magazine won the Best Customer Magazine category while Woolworths Taste Magazine was highly commended.

TRADITIONAL MAGAZINE AWARDS

The Award for Innovation in Magazine Publishing: Philip Tyler Trophy

Winner: The Property Magazine, Media Nova
Highly Commended: Good Taste, Converge; Salt Water Girl, Atoll Media

Award for Excellence in Magazine Design

Winner: VISI, New Media
Highly Commended: Woolworths Taste, New Media

PREMIER MAGAZINE AWARDS
(Overall winners in the three principal sectors)

Best Customer Magazine

Winner: Good Taste, Converge
Highly Commended: Woolworths Taste, New Media

Best Business-to-Business Magazine: Watling Trophy

Winner: The Dairy Mail, AgriConnect

Best Consumer Magazine: Rossi Trophy

Winner: Insig, New Media
Highly Commended: Finance Week, Media 24

CUSTOMER MAGAZINE AWARDS

Business-to-Business

Winner: Accountancy SA, The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants

Retail and Consumer Goods

Winner: Woolworths Taste, New Media
Highly Commended: Club Card, The Publishing Partnership; Vodaworld, Interactive Africa

Hospitality, Tourism and Travel

Winner: Good Taste, Converge

Health, Fitness and Sport

Winner: Heart, New Media

Entertainment and Arts

Winner: ClassicFeel, Desklink Media
Highly Commended: Pulse, The Publishing Partnership

Leisure and Lifestyle

Winner: ICON, The Publishing Partnership
Highly Commended: Mercedes, New Media

Annuals, Directories, Product Guides and Supplements

Winner: Front Cover, New Media

BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS MAGAZINE AWARDS

Farming, Agricultural Produce and Equipment, Irrigation and Horticulture

Winner: The Dairy Mail, AgriConnect

Mining and Quarrying

Winner: African Mining, Brooke Pattrick Publications
Highly Commended: Mining Mirror, Brooke Pattrick Publications; Pit & Quarry, Brooke Pattrick Publications

Civil Construction, Building and Infrastructural Development

Winner: IMIESA, 3S Shorten Publications

Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Winner: African Energy Journal, Brooke Pattrick Publications
Highly Commended: Sparks Electrical News, Crown Publications

Engineering - Chemical, Water, Waste Management and Other -

Winner: Water, Sewage & Effluent, Brooke Pattrick Publications

Business Management and Communications

Winner: Money Marketing, Primedia Publishing

Hospitality, Travel and Tourism

Winner: Explore SA, Kaqala Media Ltd T/A Cape Media Corp.
Highly Commended: Hospitality, Johnnic Communications

Retail

Winner: Front Shop, Primedia Publishing

Architecture and Design

Winner: Leading Architecture and Design, Primedia Publishing
Highly Commended: Design Indaba, Interactive Africa

Medical, Rescue, Safety and Security

Winner: Servamus, SARP Uitgewers

Other Specialist Titles

Winner: De Rebus, Law Society of South Africa
Highly Commended: Pursuit, Johnnic Communications; The Property Magazine, Media Nova

Annuals, Special Editions, Product Guides and Supplements

Winner: MIMS Desk Reference 2005, MIMS Johnnic Communications
Highly Commended: MIMS Guide to OTC Products, MIMS Johnnic Communications

CONSUMER MAGAZINE AWARDS

Home, Décor and Gardening

Winner: House & Leisure, Associated Magazines
Highly Commended: Tuis/Home, Media 24; Visi, New Media

Men's Magazines

Winner: Popular Mechanics, Ramsay, Son and Parker
Highly Commended: FHM, Media 24

General Interest News and Entertainment Magazines

Winner: Insig, New Media
Highly Commended: You, Media 24; Huisgenoot, Media 24

Sport

Winner: Zigzag Surfing Magazine, Atoll Media
Highly Commended: Kick-Off, Touchline Media

Leisure Interests

Winner: Africa Birds & Birding, Africa Geographic
Highly Commended: SA Gardening, Primedia Publishing

Travel, Wildlife and Conservation

Winner: Weg, New Media
Highly Commended: Africa Geographic, Africa Geographic

Parenting

Winner: Baba & Kleuter, Alchemy Publishing

Health, Wellness and Spirituality

Winner: Shape, Touchline Media
Highly Commended: O, The Oprah Magazine, Associated Magazines

Business

Winner: Finance Week, Media 24

Youth

Winner: Blunt, Atoll Media; Seventeen, 8ink Media
Highly Commended: National Geographic Kids, 8ink Media

Women's General Interest

Winner: Sarie, Media 24
Highly Commended: Fairlady, Media 24

Women's Special Interest

Winner: Dit, Media 24

Annuals and Special Editions

Winner: Sarie Bruid, Media 24
Highly Commended: Eat In 2005, New Media

Supplements

Winner: Compleat Golfer - Compleat Fitness for Golfers, Ramsay, Son and Parker