Nevada Magazine Wins ‘General Excellence’ Award

This is the third year out of four that Nevada Magazine has won First Place in the General Excellence category from the Nevada Press Association.

Nevada Magazine, the official travel publication for the state of Nevada, raked in the awards at the annual Nevada Press Association’s 2012 “Better Business Contest,” once again earning first place in General Excellence for magazines.

“We are so proud of the magazine and the hardworking team at Nevada Magazine,” Claudia Vecchio, director of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs (NDTCA), of which Nevada Magazine is a part. “They pour their hearts into each story, each photo and the layout of every page to ensure that readers get only the best representation of our beautiful state.”

The magazine is published bimonthly and in 2011 celebrated its 75th anniversary, publishing a special edition chronicling the last seven and a half decades of life and news in Nevada. This is the third year out of the last four that the Nevada Press Association has recognized the magazine with its top magazine award.

The judge’s comments include: “This was a fun magazine to read. Good writing, beautiful photography, and interesting mix of copy. It’s unusual to find a state tourism publication that is this well done. Fits its niche perfectly.”

“Awards are always welcome, but they are especially meaningful coming from our peers, our fellow journalists throughout the state we call home,” Publisher Janet Geary said. Nevada Magazine’s 2012 awards from the Nevada Press Association include:

• First Place, General Excellence
• First Place, General Excellence in Advertising
• First Place, Best Page Designer: Tony deRonnebeck
• First Place, Best Multicolor Ad: Carrie Roussel and Sean Nebeker
• First Place, Best In-House Promotion: Carrie Roussel & Sean Nebeker
• First Place, Best Regular Department: Wide Open
• Best Multiple Photo Essay: Great Nevada Picture Hunt (photo contest)
• Second Place, Best Local Column: Matthew B. Brown
• Third Place, Best Large-Space Ad: Carrie Roussel and Sean Nebeker
• Third Place, Best Page Designer: Sean Nebeker
• Third Place, Best In-House Promotion: Carrie Roussel and Sean Nebeker

In other awards news, Nevada Magazine associate editor Charlie Johnston received an Award of Merit in the Culture Feature category in the 32nd annual International Regional Magazine Association (IRMA) awards competition. Johnston's "Cultural Guardians" story from the July/August 2011 issue earned him the honor.

Final round underway for Nevada Treasures contest

Valley of Fire State Park in Southern Nevada is a finalist in the Las Vegas Territory. Photo: Matthew B. Brown

Historic sites, natural wonders still in the running; vote through May 4

A handful of Nevada attractions and businesses are vying to be named Nevada Treasures in an online social media contest that began in March as part of the Nevada Commission on Tourism’s Discover Your Nevada campaign. Finalists in six categories were announced today by the Nevada Commission on Tourism; the public has until 5 p.m. on Friday, May 4 to cast online votes at discoveryournevada.com.

“This contest was designed to be a fun way to get people talking about Nevada’s most unique treasures,” says Claudia Vecchio, director of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. “We’ve seen people really get behind their favorites, courting online votes and creating a buzz about these treasures. While we’re very interested to see which treasures eventually win, the real value of the contest has been in the remarkable conversations that have been generated. People are talking about what’s available throughout the state.”

People nominated all types of things as Nevada Treasures, from historic sites and natural wonders, but also a photography symposium, restaurants, wineries, and even people.

The contest is wrapping up, with two finalists in each of six categories (which happen to be the six tourism "territories" of Nevada):

• Cowboy Country: Shooting the West — an annual photography symposium in Winnemucca — and the Star Hotel and Restaurant in Elko;

• Indian Territory: The Lost City Museum in Overton and Pyramid Lake in Northern Nevada;

• Las Vegas Territory: The Colorado River and Valley of Fire State Park;

• Nevada Silver Trails: Goldwell Open Air Museum — an open air sculpture park near Beatty — and Sanders Family Winery in Pahrump;

Ely's Nevada Northern Railway is a finalist in the Pony Express Territory. Photo: Matthew B. Brown

• Pony Express Territory: Churchill Vineyards in Fallon and the Nevada Northern Railway in Ely; and

• Reno-Tahoe Territory: Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park in Minden and Thunderbird Lodge National Historic Site on the east shore of Lake Tahoe.