Texas Highways magazine won 17 awards at the annual International Regional Magazine Association conference and awards ceremony held in San Diego, Calif. this week. The awards recognize excellence in general-interest, regional publishing. Each year, magazines from across the United States and Canada compete in 28 categories.
Texas Highways staff took top honors in column writing, single photo and art direction of a single story. Judges said Barbara Rodriguez’s columns are “Too short, even for a column! Let this woman write.” Srini Sundarrajan’s photo of Elm Lake Trail in Brazos Bend State Park, which appeared in the August 2014 issue, was described by judges as “So elegant, it looks like a painting.” The “Meet Your Texas Makers” article in the November 2014 issue won gold and was praised by judges for its smart design, strong photos, organization and readability.
In all, Texas Highways earned three gold, seven silver, five bronze and two awards of merit.
GOLD
Column: Travel Matters by Barbara Rodriguez
Art Direction of a Single Story: Meet Your Texas Makers by Mark Mahorsky, Jane Wu, and Brandon Jakobeit, November 2014
Single Photo: Scenic Route by Srini Sundarrajan, August 2014
by E. Dan Klepper, February 2014Reader Service Article: A State of Great Migration by Elaine Robbins, April 2014
Photo Series: Amazing Scapes by E. Dan Klepper, Tim Fitzharris, Larry Ditto, Theresa DiMenno, Jerod Foster, Lance Varnell, Laurence Parent, and Brandon Jakobeit, September 2014
Illustration: Lilo Goes West by Michael Witte, February 2014
Overall Art Direction: Mark Mahorsky, Jane Wu, and Brandon Jakobeit, 2014
Food Feature: Fun With Food and Texas Treats by Anthony Head, November 2014
Cover: October 2014, Mark Mahorsky, Joan Henderson, Brandon Jakobeit, Jill Lawless, Jane Wu, Lori Moffatt, and Matt Joyce
BRONZE
The Great Camel Experiment by Will van Overbeek, July 2014
Portrait Photo:Head & Deck: Olive & Well: South Texas’ Edible Oil Boom by Lori Moffatt, September 2014
Magazine Writer of the Year: Matt Joyce for Texas Grit, January; Gather ‘Round, February; Come Around, June; The Fringe of Footwear, August; It Started With Chips, November 2014
Department: Plates by Lori Moffatt, Jane Wu, Matt Joyce, Mark Mahorsky, Brandon Jakobeit, and Jill Lawless
Companion Website: www.texashighways.com by Lois Rodriguez, Matt Wetzler, Mark Mahorsky, Lori Moffatt, Matt Joyce, Jill Lawless, Jane Wu, Erin Inks, Katy Venable, Brandon Jakobeit, and Joan Henderson, 2014
AWARD OF MERIT
Magazine Photographer of the Year: J. Griffis Smith for Back to the Frontier, February; Tracing General Sam’s Piney Woods, March; The Deviled Egg and I, April; Doin’ Fine in Alpine, July; Portals of Power, December 2014
Graphic: Texas Top 40 Icon by Mark Mahorsky, January 2014