Making the shortlist
For the original Magazine Diaries project, former editor of Smash Hits Barry McIlheny told the story of winning his first PPA magazine award. He wrote about finding a pay phone on London’s Park Lane to ring his mum and tell her he’d won. More than 30 years later, he found a picture of him getting his award when clearing his late mum’s house in Belfast.
It’s easy to be dismissive of awards, especially when you don’t win them, but as Barry said “It matters”. So with the image of Barry excitedly speaking to his mum from a phone box in 1988, I’m taking the chance to shout about how delighted I am that Grub Street has made it on to the shortlist for best B2B cover at this year’s BSME awards.
We’re up against some stellar competition, but for our first cover to be on a list with magazines that have been publishing for decades, that feels like a win already.
But wait, there’s more… Joanna has also been shortlisted for BSME’s Editor’s Editor of the year award.
You have to be nominated by a BSME member to be considered for Editor’s Editor and, again, that feels like a massive win. We launched Grub Street to talk to - and hopefully for - magazine people and to be seen as someone that other editors value is a huge endorsement for the work Jo has done.
Again, the competition is insane, just look at that lineup. But if ever there was a situation where it’s the taking part that matters, this is it.
As we keep working to figure out exactly what we want to do with The Grub Street Journal and the Magazine Diaries newsletter, being connected to the wider magazine community is crucial.
Awards are part of that, but your feedback also means a huge amount to us. If you’ve bought any of our first three issues, have thoughts on what you’d like this newsletter to deliver or if there’s anything else you would like to see us doing, please reach out and tell us what you’re thinking.
Meanwhile, fingers crossed for the BSME awards on November 21st.