Boston Received 16 National City and Regional Magazine Award Nominations for 2022

This is one of three cover entrants that scored Boston a nod for cover excellence.

We’re thrilled to report that Boston magazine has received 16 nominations in the 2023 National City and Regional Magazine Awards. The annual City and Regional Magazine Association (CRMA) competition, held in conjunction with the Missouri School of Journalism, honors journalists, design creatives, and staff members at city/regional magazines across the country in 35 categories. Among the 32 publications recognized for their 2022 work, Boston is a finalist in 16 categories—including general excellence, writer of the year and excellence in design. Yay, us.

Winners will be announced the first weekend in June, at the CRMA’s 47th annual conference in Baltimore. In the meantime, we recommend taking a gander at our murderer’s row of finalists and contributors.

A big heartfelt applause for senior editor Catherine Elton, who received three nominations: one for best profile (“Who is Dianne Wilkerson?”), another in civic journalism for her work with Gretchen Voss on “Broken” (a reported feature about Boston’s youth mental health crisis), and, spectacularly, writer of the year.

Contributor Steve Calechman—most recently seen in our pages trolling Fenway Park diehards—is up for the Herb Lipson Award for Column Excellence with three humor pieces (“Oodles and Oodles of Doodles”; “The Mascot Who Wouldn’t Disappear”; “Hold Your Horses”) while Jolyon Helterman received a food-writing nomination for his restaurant reviews of Bar Enza, Faccia Brutta, and Wusong Road.

Also on the roster of finalists: “The Bullet and the Ballplayer,” an April 2022 cover story from journalist Mike Damiano about Big Papi, chosen as a finalist in the reporting category; Casey Sherman’s “Loss, Love, and the Hermit Who Went Viral,” which received a nod for feature writing; and the truly life-affirming “For Those Moms About To Rock” from writer Joanna Weiss, in the essays/commentary/criticism category.

But wait, there’s more.

Our December 2022 issue received a nomination for excellence in writing overall (you can peruse the digital version here), and April 2022 issue earned a nod for excellence in design. Our design team is also in the running for cover excellence (April, June, and July issues) and the stellar “The Secret Life of Cranberries” was recognized in photography, a visual feature collaboration among photographer Michael Prince, design director Benjamen Purvis, and photo editor Mona Mori. Additionally, the July issue landed a nomination in the “special issue” category for the 2022 installment of “Best of Boston,” the winter issue of Boston Home received a nomination for best Ancillary: Home/Shelter, and Boston Weddings in its respective ancillary group.

Most importantly, we’re most proud of the teamwork that earned us recognition for general excellence. What we do monthly, weekly, and daily is a massive undertaking for our small, but nimble and whip-smart editorial staff, as well as our interns and freelancers. We couldn’t do any of it without their excellent work, as well as every other department—from sales to marketing to audience development—that helps bring our stories to you, the readers.

A heartfelt congratulations to our fellow nominees (see the full list of finalists here), including 16 nods for our sister publication, Philadelphia magazine. We’re grateful to be in such fantastic company.

Full List of Boston’s 2023 CRMA Nominations

Essays/Commentary/Criticism
Joanna Weiss, “For Those Moms About To Rock”

Food or Dining Writing
Jolyon Helterman
“A Hundred Different Layers”; “A Shot Across the Bao“; “A Riviera Runs Through It”

Herb Lipson Award for Column Excellence
Steve Calechman
“Oodles and Oodles of Doodles”; “The Mascot Who Wouldn’t Disappear”; “Hold Your Horses”

Reporting
Mike Damiano, “The Bullet and the Ballplayer”

Profile
Catherine Elton, “Who is Dianne Wilkerson?”

Feature Story
Casey Sherman, “Loss, Love, and the Hermit Who Went Viral”

Writer of the Year
Catherine Elton

Excellence in Writing
Boston Magazine, December 2022 [PDF]

Photography
“The Secret Life of Cranberries”
Photos by Michael Prince; design direction by Benjamen Purvis; photo editing by Mona Miri (digital version)

Cover Excellence
Boston Magazine, April 2022, June 2022, July 2022

Excellence in Design
Boston Magazine, April 2022 [PDF]

Civic Journalism
“Broken”: Gretchen Voss and Catherine Elton

Special Issue
Boston Magazine, “Best of Boston”

Ancillary

• Home/Shelter
  Boston Home (Winter 2022)
• Weddings
  Boston Magazine Weddings

General Excellence
(Circulation more than 60,000)
Boston magazine