The biggest surprise Thursday night at the National Magazine Awards was the first-ever award carried home by Cosmopolitan and its Editor-in-Chief Joanna Coles.
Cosmo won in the personal service category for its article “Your Guide to Contraception,” beating out six other magazines in the category, including GQ and Money — which actually had two nominations.
Almost as big a surprise was the winner of the Magazine of the Year honors: Fast Company, with Robert Safian as editor and Florian Bachleda as creative director.
Fast Company is part of Mansueto Ventures, a two-title operation that competes with the giants of the industry.
Modern Farmer snagged its first-ever award for the magazine section, breaking New York’s four-year winning streak. Editor-in-Chief Ann Marie Gardner said she had enjoyed so much support from colleagues across the industry, “we began referring to it as the farming magazine for media professionals.”
The night was not all upsets. Order was restored when The New Yorker and Editor-in-Chief David Remnick won four of the awards handed out by the American Society of Magazine Editors after getting shut out last year.
Perennial favorite Adam Moss, the editor of New York, left with three awards — after getting nominated for nine. “It’s a nice valedictory for a weekly, which is now a bi-weekly,” he said.
One was for General Excellence in the general-interest category, shared with Design Director Thoma Alberty, who also picked one up for design. Ben Williams, editorial director of nymag.com, left with one for best website.
Time won for Steve Brill’s investigative article, “Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us,” in the public-interest category. Managing Editor Nancy Gibbs accepted.
Rick Stengel, who was the editor in charge at the time, has moved on to a State Department gig and was not there to accept the award.
Hugo Lindgren, who was fired as editor of the New York Times Magazine at the end of 2013, achieved a degree of vindication when “The Dream Boat” by Luke Mogelson, an article from the Nov. 17 issue, landed the top prize in the coveted Reporting category. Executive Editor Joe Lovell accepted and got a cheer when he thanked Lindgren.
Vanity Fair was shut out, but Editor-in-Chief Graydon Carter was inducted into the Magazine Hall of Fame. Former Time Editor Jim Kelly introduced Carter and recalled that in their very first lunch as writer apprentices at Time, Carter was already enthusing about starting Spy. At Vanity Fair, he’s had 58 nominations and won 14 times, including two general excellence awards.
“He has the ability to romanticize anything,” Kelly said.
Each winner at the Marriott Marquis event received an Alexander Calder-designed stabile elephant.
Meanwhile, insiders were buzzing about “The Curse of the ASME President.”
Lucy Danziger, who was the incumbent ASME president, was axed at Self earlier this month.
Her predecessor, Larry Hackett, was out as People editor at the end of 2013.
Rosemary Ellis, who was running Good Housekeeping for Hearst, was ASME vice president and was expected to succeed Danziger this year — but those plans were changed after Ellis got the old heave-ho from Hearst last year.
The bylaws require the president be a current editor-in-chief of a consumer magazine.
ASME on Wednesday tapped Audubon top editor Mark Jannot to succeed Danziger. James Bennet of The Atlantic was named vice president.