The Publish Awards last night provided a feel of both optimism and sadness, all in one. It’s a pretty messed-up, once grand old industry, with a lot of good, but confused people still giving it their best. B&T’s Jeremy Knibbs was there and here are some of the reasons to be cheerful from last night’s do…
1. Lots of excited, energised and happy people
Ok, when you get to one of these awards nights you think you are going to win. It’s a good business model. But given the parlous state of publishing, you’d expect the mood and the numbers to be down. The Publish Awards was quite the opposite. The organiser, Mumbrella, who has done a bit of its own defying of the publishing odds over the years, did a great job providing reasons for publishers to be cheerful.
2. Womens Weekly
Grand old dame that maintains a platform of great journalism despite all the shit flying around it over there at Bauer. Won best journo (second year running), best single article and best editor. It’s a good read? Who’d have thought that was a strategy? Fairfax might want to think that one through a bit better.
3. Accountants at war
Only in B2B publishing would you see two accounting institutions decide that if one can do a near impossible reinvention of their brand, the other is going to do it – better. And money is no object (and these guys are accountants, disgraceful). In the Black, produced by Bauer for the CPAs and feted now for many years as an amazing re-invention of a boring accountants mag, got beaten by Accuity, the Chartered’s challenger brand, for business mag of the year. In the Black came second – ooh, that’s gotta hurt. Watch this space for ‘Return of the CPAs’.
4. Digital is sort of getting more integrated
Mumbrella has done a pretty good job of getting innovative online publishers on board to what was once a bunch of ‘good ol’ boy’ print publishers, trying (usually badly) to do digital. Mumbrella came from the ‘old’ and became the ‘new’ and they seem to have built a bit of a bridge at this event. Notable for their attendance – VICE, Pedestrian.tv, The Urban List, Allure Media, Buzzfeed and a few others. That these guys deign to mix with the oldies now, is a great sign for publishing.
5. B2B and consumer in the one room
Sort of like the end of the world movie where the reptilian-like aliens are going to enslave all of mankind for a food source (who could be playing the aliens in this movie I wonder?) and the Russians (B2B) finally make friends with the Americans (Consumer) in order to ward off the evil doers. It’s lovely to see. And good for innovation probably, as despite what most people would think, the Russians are generally more innovative in this movie – not because they’re any smarter, they have just been more desperate over the years to find a way to scrape a living. Which turns out to be a useful lifeskill in publishing these days.
6. NewsLife Media
Won best consumer/custom publisher second year running. They should have perhaps died a sad but inevitable death a few years ago – especially after some numbnut accountant at News timed it wrong and overpaid for all the mags from Hannan. But some strange mix of passion, cultural transformation and smarts kicked in over there and they re-birthed themselves as a half-decent multi-channel group. That can’t be easy working under the News hierarchy. Great example of what purpose and passion can do and proof positive that publishing is fine, just a bit harder. Hopefully they don’t get cocky and stuff it up. There’s a long way to go yet.
Here’s a full list of the winners:
Long live original content producers and ‘real’ publishers! Down with the evil imperialist global digital platforms, which enslave the content and data of others in their pursuit of being everything to everyone.
The Excellence Award
Winner: HC Online – www.hcamag.com
Magazine Cover of the Year (Business)
Winner: Australian Pharmacist
Runner up: Independent Financial Advisor
Magazine Cover of the Year (Consumer/Custom)
Winner: GQ Australia
Runner up: Harper’s Bazaar Australia
Designer of the Year (Business)
Winner: Kate Barnett – In The Black
Runner up: Aaron Sammut – Queensland Mining & Energy Bulletin
Designer of the Year (Consumer/Custom)
Winner: Tony Rice – Qantas magazine
Runner up: Giota Letsios – Country Style
Best App on Mobile or Tablet device
Winner: Donna Hay
Runner up: Woolworths Fresh
Journalist of the Year (Business)
Winner: Andrew Daniels – Australian Pharmacist
Runner up: Brett Williams – Police Journal
Journalist of the Year (Consumer/Custom)
Winner: Clair Weaver – The Australian Women’s Weekly
Runner up: Michael Sheather – The Australian Women’s Weekly
Single Article of the Year
Winner: “Our daughter is now our son” by Michael Sheatherf, The Australian Women’s Weekly
Runner up: “It was torture” by Brett Williams, The Police Association of South Australia
Editor of the Year (Business)
Winner: Samantha McLean – Elite Agent
Runner up: Yelena Fairfax – Beauty Directory
Editor of the Year (Consumer/Custom)
Winner: Helen McCabe – The Australian Women’s Weekly
Runner up: Jackie Frank – marie claire Australia
Event of the Year (Business)
Winner: Better Business Summit 2015
Runner up: Australian Mortgage Awards 2014
Event of the Year (Consumer/Custom)
Winner: Vogue Fashion’s Night Out 2015
Runner up: Delicious Produce Awards 2015
Special Edition of the Year
Winner: Better Homes and Gardens – Colour for Me
Runner up: Donna Hay Fresh + Light
Salesperson/Team of the Year (Business)
Winner: Nick Stanley – Australian Hospital and Healthcare Bulletin
Runner up: NO RUNNER UP FOR THIS CATEGORY
Salesperson/Team of the Year (Consumer/Custom)
Winner: Pedestrian.tv
Runner up: Benn Sykes, CarAdvice.com.au
Launch/Re-Launch of the Year
Winner: Ninemsn Honey
Runner up: Lawyers Weekly
Multi-channel Brand of the Year
Winner: Vice Australia
Runner up: Vogue Australia
Association or Member Organisation Magazine of the Year
Winner: Insurance & Risk Professional
Runner up: The Road Ahead
Small Publisher of the Year
Winner: Refraction Media
Runner up: Conversant Media
Business Publishing Company of the Year
Winner: Sterling Publishing
Runner up: Key Media
Consumer/Custom Publishing Company of the Year
Winner: NewsLifeMedia
Runner up: Medium Rare Content Agency
Website of the Year (Business)
Winner: HC Online – www.hcamag.com
Runner up: Insurance and Risk
Website of the Year (Consumer/Custom)
Winner: www.CarAdvice.com.au
Runner up: The Roar
Business Magazine of the Year
Winner: Acuity
Runner up: In the Black
Custom Magazine of the Year
Winner: Woolworths Fresh
Runner up: Travel Ideas
Consumer Magazine of the Year (Below 20,000 circ)
Winner: Peppermint
Runner up: Geelong + Surf Coast Living
Consumer Magazine of the Year (Above 20,000 circ)
Winner: GQ Australia
Runner up: Inside Out
