--Ted Patrick, editor of Holiday, announcing the formation of ASME on September 17, 1963
The American Society of Magazine Editors is the principal organization for magazine journalists in the United States. The members of ASME include the editorial leaders of most major consumer and business magazines published in print and on digital platforms. Founded in 1963, ASME works to defend the First Amendment, protect editorial independence and support the development of journalism. ASME sponsors the Ellie Awards in association with the Columbia Journalism School and publishes the ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers.
Senior editors, art directors and photography editors employed by print and digital magazines edited and distributed in the United States are eligible to join ASME. There are four categories of membership: Chief Editor, Editor, Retired Editor and ASME NEXT. Chief Editors, Editors and Retired Editors are entitled to all the privileges of ASME membership. ASME NEXT members are not eligible to vote in ASME elections. Applications for membership must be endorsed by a chief editor and are subject to the approval of the ASME Board of Directors. ASME currently has 450 members.
ASME is governed by a 16-member board of directors. Board members are elected to two-year terms and may be re-elected to a second two-year term. Officers are elected to one-year terms and may be re-elected to a second one-year term. Board elections are conducted at the ASME Annual Meeting, usually the first Wednesday in May. The current members of the board are:
Christopher Keyes, Vice President and Editor, Outside, President
Janice Min, Strategist, Eldridge Industries, Vice President
Christene Barberich, Global Editor in Chief and Founding Partner, Refinery29
Jonathan Dorn, Chief Innovation Officer, Active Interest Media
Edward Felsenthal, Editor in Chief, TIME
Clara Jeffery, Editor in Chief, Mother Jones
Lucy Kaylin, Editor in Chief, O, The Oprah Magazine
Amy Keller Laird
Anthony Licata, Editorial Director, Bonnier Lifestyle Media
Jim Nelson, Editor in Chief, GQ
Stephen Orr, Editor in Chief, Better Homes and Gardens
James Oseland, Editor in Chief, World Food
Brooke Siegel, Vice President of Content, Hearst Digital Media
Joshua Topolsky, Founder and Editor in Chief, The Outline
Julia Turner, Editor in Chief, Slate
Dana Points, Associate Director of Development, Corporate Partnerships, Child Mind Institute, Ex Officio
The chief executive of ASME is Sid Holt. The director is Nina Fortuna.
ASME serves the interests of its members and supports the development of magazine journalism by sponsoring the following programs:
The Ellie Awards honor print and digital magazines that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy journalistic enterprise and imaginative art direction. The Ellie Awards were established in 1966, when Look received the first award. The first award for digital journalism was presented to Money in 1997.
The call for entries is published in October each year; the awards are presented at the Ellie Awards Annual Presentation the following March. Each award winner receives a reproduction of the Alexander Calder’s stabile “Elephant.” The Ellie Awards are sponsored by ASME in association with the Columbia Journalism School and are administered by ASME.
In 2018, 281 print and digital publications submitted 1,368 entries in 20 categories, and 58 titles received one or more nominations. The Ellie Awards judging is the largest annual meeting of magazine journalists in the United States: 269 editors, most of them ASME members, participated in the judging this year. Nearly 500 editors and publishers attended the Annual Presentation.
Lists of the finalists and judges are posted on the Ellie Awards site. Videos of the Ellie Awards Annual Lunch, including the winners’ remarks, are posted on YouTube.
Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame and Creative Excellence Awards honor editors, writers and artists for career-long achievements and enduring contributions to magazine journalism. Honorees are chosen by the ASME Board of Directors. The awards are presented in alternating years at the Ellie Awards Annual Gala. The most recent recipient of the Hall of Fame Award was Dorothy Kalins in 2018; the most recent recipient of the Creative Excellence Award was James Nachtwey in 2015.
Best American Magazine Writing anthologizes Ellie Award-winning and –nominated articles. Published annually by the Columbia University Press, Best American Magazine Writing is widely used in journalism courses. The introduction to the 2018 edition was written by Alison Overholt, vice president and editor in chief of ESPN The Magazine, espnw and the ESPYs. A Chinese edition is published in Shanghai.
The Osborn Elliott-National Magazine Awards Scholarship
Ellie Awards entry fees fund the Osborn Elliott Scholarship at the Columbia Journalism School. Named in honor of the former Newsweek editor, Columbia dean and ASME president, the Osborn Elliott Scholarship is awarded to students who intend to pursue careers in magazine journalism.
The ASME Award for Fiction is intended to celebrate the historic link between literary fiction and magazine journalism. The award honors print magazines and magazine websites for overall excellence in fiction.
The ASME Best Cover Contest honors the most successful magazine covers of the year. The contest comprises two sets of awards: the ASME Best Cover Awards and the ASME Readers’ Choice Awards. Each cover entered in the Best Cover Contest is eligible to win both a Best Cover Award and a Readers’ Choice Award. The winners of the ASME Best Cover Awards, including the ASME Cover of the Year, are chosen by ASME members. Media consumers choose the winners of the ASME Readers’ Choice Awards. The call for entries is published in October each year; the winners, including the Cover of the Year, are announced at the American Magazine Media Conference. The ASME Best Cover Contest was begun in 2006.
Latest Magazine Covers is a virtual newsstand hosted by ASME on Facebook. All ASME members are invited to post their most recent covers.
The American Magazine Media Conference is the annual meeting for magazine media leaders. Sponsored by MPA—The Association of Magazine Media in association with ASME, the meeting addresses issues of concern to editors and publishers of print and digital publications. The American Magazine Media Conference is held in February every year.
The ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers codify longstanding practices governing the relationship between editorial and advertising content. First published in 1982, the ASME Guidelines include best practices for print and digital magazines. ASME staff members frequently advise ASME members and their colleagues on the interpretation and application of the guidelines.
ASME Educational and Training Programs include regularly scheduled seminars and multi-day workshops on editorial skills and practices. Annual workshops include the ASME NEXT Editorial Workshop for junior-level editors in October and the ASME Legal Briefing for Editors in November. A full-tuition scholarship for the Yale Publishing Course is also awarded annually to an ASME member.
ASME NEXT is a separate organization within ASME for early career editors. ASME NEXT is governed by its own board of directors, overseen by the ASME board of directors and staff. ASME NEXT sponsors educational training programs specifically for junior editors, including the bimonthly ASME NEXT Talks series with leading magazine journalists.
The Magazine Internship Program places college juniors in internships at leading consumer magazines for 10 weeks every summer. Founded in 1967, the program is highly competitive: This year approximately 200 students applied and fewer than 30 were accepted. More than 500 alumni of the program now work in magazine media and include the editors in chief of major titles.
ASME Job Board is a jobs-listing service hosted on the ASME website. There is no charge to ASME members to post on the ASME Job Board.
MPA SERVICES FOR ASME MEMBERS
ASME-member dues support these MPA departments:
Government Affairs promotes the interests of magazine editors and publishers in Washington and state capitals by advocating on behalf of magazine media companies in key legislative and regulatory areas, including shield laws; intellectual property; consumer protection; digital privacy; sustainability; postal reform; and advertising.
Information Services maintains a fully equipped library staffed by information specialists knowledgeable about editorial and publishing trends and data. ASME members have full access.
The biggest benefit of ASME membership is belonging. ASME is the only organization that speaks for print and digital magazine editors and supports their interests. But there are tangible benefits too:
Savings on Entry Fees for the Ellie Awards and ASME Best Cover Contest
- ASME members pay less to enter the Ellie Awards and the ASME Best Cover Contest. The cost of ASME membership can be completely offset by submitting only a handful of entries in the Ellie Awards.
Participation in the Ellie Awards Judging
- Every year hundreds of journalists, most of them ASME members, gather in New York for the Ellie Awards judging. The judging is an opportunity to meet other top editors and to learn about the best print and digital journalism. ASME members receive priority in the selection and assignment of judges.
Savings on Registration Fees for the Ellie Awards Annual Presentation and American Magazine Media Conference
- ASME members receive discounts on single tickets and full tables for the Ellie Awards Annual Presentation and pay less to attend the American Magazine Media Conference.
Access to the ASME Membership Directory
- The ASME Membership Directory is distributed annually to all members and includes listings for hundreds of editors. Members can also access the directory online.
ASME LinkedIn Group Membership
- Membership in the ASME LinkedIn Group is restricted to ASME members. Postings focus on print and digital editorial strategy and management.
Help With the ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers
- ASME staff members are always available to answer members’ questions about the ASME Guidelines and to explain best practices in both print and digital media.
Free Subscriptions to the ASME Daily News Roundup
- The ASME Daily News Roundup aggregates essential reporting and analysis about print and digital media. The newsletter is delivered to ASME members’ mailboxes every afternoon.
Answers to Your Questions About Magazine Media
- MPA Information Services staff members can answer questions about editorial, advertising and circulation trends and provide access to industry research on print and digital media, including recent white papers on magazine readers and the use of tablets, smartphones and social media.
Discounts on Registration Fees for ASME and MPA Educational and Training Programs
- ASME members pay less to attend ASME seminars and workshops as well as MPA print and digital conferences and events.
ASME HELPLINES
Member Services Call Nina Fortuna at 212.872.3737 or email nfortuna@magazine.org
ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers Call Sid Holt at 212.872.3723 or email sholt@magazine.org
Information Services Call Sandy Jimenez at 212.872.3795 or email sjimenez@magazine.org
Ellie Awards Email info@ellieawards.org