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.

Nevada Press Association Honors Nevada Magazine

Left to Right: Melissa Loomis, Carrie Roussel, Matthew B. Brown, Janet Geary, Tony deRonnebeck. Not Pictured: Charlie Johnston, Sean Nebeker, Pati Stefonowicz

Nevada Magazine won First Place-General Excellence, and Editor Matthew B. Brown was named Outstanding Journalist, among other accolades, in the Magazines category of the 2011 Nevada Press Association awards. Plaques and certificates were distributed at a ceremony at the historic Piper's Opera House in Virginia City on Saturday, October 15.

Among Nevada Magazine's other distinguished honors are:

• Advertising General Excellence

• Best Page Designer(s)
First Place: Tony deRonnebeck
Third Place: Sean Nebeker

• Best Entertainment Writing
First Place: Charlie Johnston

• Best Regular Department
First Place: “History”

• Best-In House Promotion
First Place: Sean Nebeker, “We're Traveling Nevada”

• Best Multiple Photo Essay
First Place: Tony deRonnebeck (designer) and various photographers, “Wildflowers of Nevada”

• Best Feature Story
Second Place: Charlie Johnston, “Tales From Las Vegas”

• Best Illustrated Photo
First Place: Steve Woodbury (Nevada Commission on Tourism), “Rhyolite”

• Best Feature Photo
First Place: Rachid Dahnoun (freelancer), “Pyramid Lake”

A complete list of 2011 Nevada Press Association award winners can be found here. Nevada Magazine also won First Place-General Excellence in 2009, the first year the Nevada Press Association added magazines to its annual awards competition.

"This is especially rewarding during our 75th-anniversary year," says Publisher Janet Geary. "We are extremely honored to be recognized by our peers in the journalism industry."

FOLIO: Honors Nevada Magazine Editor

Matthew B. Brown, editor of Nevada Magazine, has been named to FOLIO: Magazine’s 2011 FOLIO: 40, the company’s yearly “list of some of the most distinguished magazine and media professionals from every corner of our industry.”

Brown, in his fourth year as editor of Nevada’s official tourism publication, is featured in the April 2011 edition of FOLIO: and on foliomag.com. The 29-year-old guides the production of the bimonthly publication, but his prowess for marketing Nevada Magazine via social media, e-newsletters, and nevadamagazine.com garnered special attention from FOLIO:.

“I think the modern editor has to operate in multiple dimensions today — and that’s posting an amazing picture on Flickr from an upcoming article, or an informative posting on Twitter or Facebook to drive traffic to your website, and then making your website look and read as well as your print magazine does,” Brown says in the FOLIO: 40 article.

Nevada Magazine is a division of the Nevada Commission on Tourism (NCOT).

“Nevada Magazine plays an important role in our tourism marketing efforts, and Matt has done a great job as its editor,” says Lt. Gov. Brian K. Krolicki, chair of NCOT. “Matt’s focus on social media has ensured that the magazine utilizes current trends effectively and reaches an even greater audience.”

“It is gratifying to see the dedication and talent of Matt Brown recognized on a national level,” says Larry Friedman, interim director of NCOT. “He makes Nevada Magazine and Nevada proud.”

Since Brown took over as editor, nevadamagazine.com has won two national awards, including a National Headliner Award in 2008. The print magazine received a General Excellence award from the Nevada Press Association in 2009, and the same organization recognized Brown individually with Best Local Column and Best Feature Story awards in 2010.

Brown, whose photographs appear regularly in the magazine and on nevadamagazine.com, started and manages all of Nevada Magazine’s social websites, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. He travels the state extensively, researching, photographing, and taking video for upcoming stories.

Before joining Nevada Magazine as associate editor in 2006, Brown worked as the sports and outdoors editor at the Sierra Sun newspaper in Truckee, Calif., and as a sports copy editor and reporter for the Reno Gazette-Journal. He graduated in 2003 from California State University, Chico with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and currently lives in Reno with his wife and 1-year-old son.

Read the FOLIO article about Brown here.

2009 Nevada Press Association awards

In September, Nevada Magazine had the distinct honor of winning numerous awards from the Nevada Press Association, the formal trade organization for the state newspaper industry. This was the first year the NPA included magazines in its annual awards competition.

We received first-place awards in the following categories: General Excellence, Best Page One Design, Best Feature Photo, Best Multiple Feature Photos, Best Large-Space Ad, Best Multi-Color Ad, Best In-House Advertising Promotion, and Advertising General Excellence.

It was very rewarding for us to be recognized by our peers. “Excellent in every area. Diverse and informative stories, beautiful photography, impeccable design, wonderful variety of advertising. Has it all!” read the NPA judges’ comments in reference to the General Excellence designation. On September 12, most of our staff traveled to Winnemucca for the awards dinner.

The NPA awards were a nice follow-up to a few other prestigious accolades we’ve received recently. In 2008, we were honored with two Gold awards — Most Improved Magazine and Photographic Series — in the 28th annual International Regional Magazine Association contest. Earlier that year, NevadaMagazine.com won a Grand Award in the 20th annual APEX competition and earned the top spot in the Magazine Affiliated Online Journalism division of the National Headliner Awards, one of the oldest and largest annual contests recognizing journalistic merit in the communications industry.