MC Nataniel kept the awards ceremony flowing smoothly and speedily and the audience in stitches with his droll humour and pithy wisecracks. The lights of the Cape Town city bowl served as a glittering backdrop to the proceedings.
The 2008 awards saw a record number of entries - an increase of more than 100 over the previous year. Entries were significantly up in most publishing streams, with Visual Production of the Year attracting over 60 submissions. Theere were also seven new categories.
Publishing sector judges paid particular attention to commercial performance, to the extent that those entering the Consumer Cover category (won by Media24's Finweek) had to prove that circulation had spiked in the month in which the cover was featured. A common thread running through both MPASA chairman John Relihan's opening speech and chief judge Gisele Wertheim Aymes' summary of the standard of the 2008 submissions was the need for titles to meet the demands of newly evolving technologies and media consumption trends by extending their brands to other media platforms, particularly digital and mobile.
Judge Mandy de Waal, a brand and content manager, commended the Editorial Excellence entrants for the superb quality of their work, much of which “could sit comfortably alongside the best international journalism”. Fellow judge Sue Grant-Marshall - author and journalist - praised the Afrikaans magazines in particular for their exceptionally high standard - De Kat clinched three Highly Commended Awards in the Profile Writer of the Year category (won by Gavin Foster for Best Life), as well as the PICA for Feature Writer of the Year (Ilse Salzwedel). Dana Snyman of Weg! was named Travel Writer of the Year.
MPASA Board director Julia Raphaely honoured Harold with a tribute composed by her mother, Jane, and PICA chief judge Gisele Wertheim Aymes shared her fond memories of working alongside Eedes on the MPASA Board. Anthea Eedes, Harold's wife, closed the tribute with a moving account of his passion for the industry, indomitable spirit and philosophical outlook.
Category | Section | Result | Title/Person | Person | Publishing house | Column | Customer publishing excellence | Retail and Consumer Goods | Winner | Pick 'n Pay Fresh Living | | John Brown Publishing | |
Customer publishing excellence | Retail and Consumer Goods | Highly Commended | Plascon Colour | | New Media | |
Customer publishing excellence | Leisure and Lifestyle | Winner | Obrigado | | The Publishing Partnership | |
Customer publishing excellence | Leisure and Lifestyle | Highly Commended | No highly commended | | | |
Customer publishing excellence | Education, Health, Conservation, Safety and Security | Winner | Hip2B2 | | New Media | |
Customer publishing excellence | Education, Health, Conservation, Safety and Security | Highly Commended | Wild | | TiP Publishing | |
Customer publishing excellence | Finance and Other Professional Services | Winner | JSE | | Highbury Safika Media | |
Customer publishing excellence | Finance and Other Professional Services | Highly Commended | No highly commended | | | |
Customer publishing excellence | Annuals, Directories, Product Guides and Special Editions | Winner | Digest of SA Architecture | | Picasso Headline, Avusa Media | |
Customer publishing excellence | Annuals, Directories, Product Guides and Special Editions | Highly Commended | Nedbank Golf Challenge | | The Publishing Partnership | |
Customer publishing excellence | Supplements | Winner | No winner | | | |
Customer publishing excellence | Supplements | Highly Commended | Classicfeel Jewellery | | DeskLink Media | |
Customer publishing excellence | Cover | Winner | Design Indaba | | Interactive Africa | |
Customer publishing excellence | Cover | Highly Commended | JSE | | Highbury Safika Media | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Leisure Pursuits, Business Tourism and Hospitality | Winner | No winner | | | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Leisure Pursuits, Business Tourism and Hospitality | Highly Commended | Travel News Weekly | | Now Media | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Leisure Pursuits, Business Tourism and Hospitality | Highly Commended | SA Horseman | | AgriConnect | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Essential Services | Winner | No winner | | | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Essential Services | Highly Commended | Delivery | | String Communication | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Professional Services | Winner | Leadership | | Cape Media Corporation | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Professional Services | Highly Commended | Brand | | Brand Africa Media | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Professional Services | Highly Commended | Mindshift | | IT Web | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Resource-based Industries | Winner | The Dairy Mail | | AgriConnect | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Resource-based Industries | Highly Commended | SA Mining | | Avusa Media | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Construction, Engineering and Related Industry | Winner | Civil Engineering | | SAICE | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Construction, Engineering and Related Industry | Highly Commended | IMIESA | | 3 S Media | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Cover | Winner | Mindshift | | IT Web | |
Business-to-business publishing excellence | Cover | Highly Commended | Leadership | | Cape Media Corporation | |
Consumer publishing excellence | General Interest | Winner | Sarie | | Media24 | |
Consumer publishing excellence | General Interest | Highly Commended | Destiny | | Ndalo Media | |
Consumer publishing excellence | International General Interest | Winner | Woman & Home | | Caxton | |
Consumer publishing excellence | International General Interest | Highly Commended | Real Simple | | 8 Ink Media | |
Consumer publishing excellence | International General Interest | Highly Commended | Seventeen | | 8 Ink Media | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Special Interest | Winner | Weg!/Go! | | Media24 | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Special Interest | Highly Commended | Africa Geographic | | Africa Geographic | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Special Interest | Highly Commended | Finweek | | Media24 | |
Consumer publishing excellence | International Special Interest | Winner | Entrepreneur | | Smart Business Solutions | |
Consumer publishing excellence | International Special Interest | Highly Commended | National Geographic Kids | | 8 Ink Media | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Décor, Crafts, Food and Gardening | Winner | Visi | | New Media | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Décor, Crafts, Food and Gardening | Highly Commended | ELLE Decoration | | Avusa Media | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Décor, Crafts, Food and Gardening | Highly Commended | Home/Tuis | | Media24 | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Annuals, Directories, Product Guides and Special Editions | Winner | Eat In | | New Media | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Annuals, Directories, Product Guides and Special Editions | Highly Commended | Eat Out | | New Media | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Supplement of the Year | Winner | O - Find Your Balance | | Associated Magazines | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Supplement of the Year | Highly Commended | Cosmo Kicks Butt! | | Associated Magazines | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Cover | Winner | Finweek | | Media24 | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Cover | Highly Commended | ELLE | | Avusa Media | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Cover | Highly Commended | Move! | | Media24 | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Consumer Magazines (largely free distribution) | Winner | The Property Magazine | | Media Nova | |
Consumer publishing excellence | Consumer Magazines (largely free distribution) | Highly Commended | no highly commended | | | |
Overall publishing excellence | Launch/Relaunch - The Philip Tyler Trophy | Winner | Psychologies | | Media24 | |
Overall publishing excellence | Launch/Relaunch - The Philip Tyler Trophy | Highly Commended | Femina | | Media24 | |
Overall publishing excellence | Launch/Relaunch - The Philip Tyler Trophy | Highly Commended | Intiem | | Media in Africa | |
Overall publishing excellence | Online Solution | Winner | www.fin24.com | | Media24 | |
Overall publishing excellence | Online Solution | Highly Commended | www.yourparenting.co.za | | Alchemy Publishing | |
Overall publishing excellence | Online Solution | Highly Commended | www.shapemag.co.za | | Touchline Media | |
Editorial excellence | Columnist of the Year | Winner | Obrigado | Chris Roper | The Publishing Partnership | “Risky Business” |
Editorial excellence | Columnist of the Year | Highly Commended | Manwees | Jean Meiring | Man-wees | Series of columns |
Editorial excellence | Columnist of the Year | Highly Commended | Mindshift | Max du Preez | ITWeb | “Left? What Left?” |
Editorial excellence | Trade and Industry Writer of the Year | Winner | Mining Weekly | Irma Venter | Creamer Media | “Sea Change” |
Editorial excellence | Travel Writer of the Year | Winner | Weg! | Dana Snyman | Media24 | “Ons Trek is Op” |
Editorial excellence | Travel Writer of the Year | Highly Commended | Longevity | Angus Begg | Avusa Media | “A Taste of Darjeeling” |
Editorial excellence | Travel Writer of the Year | Highly Commended | WegRy | Barnie Louw | Media24 | “Op Soek Na Khauxa!nas” |
Editorial excellence | Clicks Clubcard Health and Wellness Writer of the Year (sponsored by Clicks Clubcard) | Winner | Shape | Joanne Lillie | Touchline Media | “Mommy, Do I Look Fat in This?” |
Editorial excellence | Clicks Clubcard Health and Wellness Writer of the Year (sponsored by Clicks Clubcard) | Highly Commended | Men's Health | Paul McNally | Touchline Media | “Soweto Muscle Rising” |
Editorial excellence | Clicks Clubcard Health and Wellness Writer of the Year (sponsored by Clicks Clubcard) | Highly Commended | Shape | Joanne Lillie | Touchline Media | “Dying to be Thin” |
Editorial excellence | Clicks Clubcard Health and Wellness Writer of the Year (sponsored by Clicks Clubcard) | Highly Commended | Huisgenoot Pols | Mari Hudson | Media24 | “Die Span Wat Dit Laat Gebeur” |
Editorial excellence | Visual Production of the Year | Winner | Visi | TinaMarie Malherbe | New Media | “Eastern Promises” and “Fragile Microcosmos” |
Editorial excellence | Visual Production of the Year | Highly Commended | Obrigado | Geogia Gardner | The Publishing Partnership | “Roll Up, Roll Up” |
Editorial excellence | Visual Production of the Year | Highly Commended | Visi | Daryl McGregor and Kevin Mackintosh. | New Media | “Elephants” |
Editorial excellence | Designer of the Year | Winner | Visi | Etienne Hanekom | New Media | “Time Flies” |
Editorial excellence | Designer of the Year | Highly Commended | Obrigado | Georgia Gardner | The Publishing Partnership | “Snatched” |
Editorial excellence | Designer of the Year | Highly Commended | Taste | Mark Serra | New Media | “Sprigs of Verdant Mint” |
Editorial excellence | Designer of the Year | Highly Commended | De Kat | Ronel van Heerden | African Sky Publishing | “Kortliks” |
Editorial excellence | Feature Writer of the Year | Winner | De Kat | Ilse Salzwedel | African Sky Publishing | “Ons is Swart Afrikaners” |
Editorial excellence | Feature Writer of the Year | Highly Commended | Farmer's Weekly | Stephan Hoffstatter | Caxton | “Police in Sky Switch Crops in Old Transkei" |
Editorial excellence | Feature Writer of the Year | Highly Commended | Men's Health | Chris Park | Touchline Media | “My Friend's a Junkie” |
Editorial excellence | Profile Writer of the Year | Winner | Best Life | Gavin Foster | Touchline Media | “The Dad Who Won't Forget” |
Editorial excellence | Profile Writer of the Year | Highly Commended | De Kat | Simone Scholtz | African Sky Publishing | “Grietjie van Garies” |
Editorial excellence | Profile Writer of the Year | | De Kat | Theo Kemp | African Sky Publishing | “Die Nagjakkals van Zoar” |
Editorial excellence | Profile Writer of the Year | Highly Commended | De Kat | Louine van der Vyver | African Sky Publishing | “Die Houtskooltowenaar” |
Editorial excellence | Public Interest Writer of the Year | Winner | Men's Health | Paul McNally | Touchline Media | “You're HIV-Positive - Now What?" |
Editorial excellence | Public Interest Writer of the Year | Highly Commended | Farmer's Weekly | Stephan Hofstatter | Caxton | “SA's Looming Water Crisis” |
Editorial excellence | Public Interest Writer of the Year | Highly Commended | Marie Claire | Lori Cohen | Associated Magazines | “Anyone Can Be A Victim” |
Editorial excellence | Public Interest Writer of the Year | Highly Commended | The Property Magazine | Ed Suter | Media Nova | “The Price of Indifference” |
Editor of the year | Editor of the Year - Customer Publishing | Winner | Clicks Clubcard | Abigail Murison | The Publishing Partnership | |
Editor of the year | Editor of the Year - Business-to-Business Publishing | Winner | The Dairy Mail | Willemien von Solms | AgriConnect | |
Editor of the year | Jane Raphaely Editor of the Year - Consumer Publishing | Winner | Woman & Home | Frith Thomas | Caxton | |
Magazine of the year | Customer Magazine of the Year | Winner | Pick 'n Pay Fresh Living | | John Brown Publishing | |
Magazine of the year | Business-to-Business Magazine of the Year - Watling Trophy | Winner | The Dairy Mail | | AgriConnect | |
Magazine of the year | Consumer Magazine of the Year - Rossi Trophy | Winner | Weg!/Go! | | Media24 |