Finalists for first Pica Editor of the Year Award announced

Bun Booyens

The winner will be announced at this year's MPASA Sappi Pica awards, the annual accolades to recognise publishing excellence in the local magazine industry.

"It was a particularly difficult task to arrive at the short list. All the submissions bore out the high level of editing acumen that resides in our magazine industry," says Sappi Pica chief judge and former editor, Ann Donald.

"The short-listed editors, however, also stood out for their exceptional prowess as brand managers. These editors consistently produce that elusive 'holy grail' of audience delivery. They are completely in touch with their readers' needs, how to position and market their title and finally, how to secure those ever dwindling advertising rands. We believe they all have that rare capacity to turn any title they touch into a success."

The inaugural Jane Raphaely Editor of the Year Award, named in recognition of one of the country's iconic editors and sponsored by Associated Magazines, has been introduced to recognise an exceptionally successful editorship of a consumer magazine (magazines that derive more than 75% of their circulation from newsstand sales or through independent subscription), and will be announced for the first time in the 38-year history of the Magazine Publishers Association of SA's Sappi Pica Awards, according to the chairperson, Elizabeth Shorten.

"A key feature of this award is that it is adjudicated by a representative body of South African editors, and, will as such, represent a particularly hard-won accolade," Shorten explains.

This year's judging panel comprised current and former editors seconded from each of the five major magazine publishers. These were:

• Alexis Knipe, Johnnic Communications (Picasso Headline)
  
• Angela Brooks, Caxton Magazines
  
• Kate Wilson, Associated Magazines
  
• Pnina Fenster, Condé Nast Independent Magazines, and
  
• Salie de Swardt, Media24 Magazines

Editors were nominated and judging was based on the information and motivations submitted by the nominator across a range of criteria. These included editorial excellence, management of staff, promotion of magazine, business involvement and unique characteristics, actions or contributions.

Sixteen entries were received in total.