Arizona Highways magazine recognized for excellence

PHOENIX – Arizona Highways, a world-renowned magazine that has been sharing stories and dramatic photography of Arizona for almost as long as the state has had roads, added to its reputation for excellence with 20 awards at this month’s International Regional Magazine Association conference.

The magazine, published by the Arizona Department of Transportation, won five first-place Gold Awards, including one for the April issue celebrating the 90th anniversary of Arizona Highways, which published its first edition on April 15, 1925.

Other Gold Awards presented to Arizona Highways for work in 2015:

• David Muench, Magazine Photographer of the Year for the December issue;
• Eric Hanson, for his graphic accompanying a Route 66 feature in the May issue;
• Editor Robert Stieve, for his monthly editor's letter;
• and Ben Coan, whose photo of Mooney Falls in the Grand Canyon opened The Journal, the magazine’s introductory column, in October.

Arizona Highways also earned seven Silver Awards, four Bronze Awards and four honorable mentions. The magazine won 11 IRMA awards in 2013 and 16 in 2014.

“The magazine’s strong showing at the IRMA awards this year underscores the nearly 93 years of publishing excellence at Arizona Highways magazine,” Publisher Win Holden said. “I was pleased that the magazine’s creative team received recognition in every major category of publishing: writing, design, photography and illustration.”

Among the Silver Awards presented to Arizona Highways were Annette McGivney in the Magazine Writer of the Year category; Scott Baxter for portraits of Clayson Benally (March); Craig Childs for his essay The Long Deep Trails of Water (June), and the magazine’s website, arizonahighways.com.

IRMA, founded in 1960, supports and promotes regional magazines in the United States and elsewhere. Arizona Highways has hosted the conference four times, most recently in 2012.

Gold Awards

• Editor's Letter: Robert Stieve
• Single Photo: Ben Coan, Let There Be Light, October
• Magazine Photographer of the Year: David Muench, December
• Graphic: Eric Hanson, On the Road Again, May
• Special Focus: 90th Anniversary Issue, April

Silver Awards

• Headline and Deck: Robert Stieve, She Knows Dam Well, March 2015
• Essay: Craig Childs, The Long Deep Trails of Water, June
• Magazine Writer of the Year: Annette McGivney
• Portrait Photo: John Sherman, Table of Contents, August
• Portrait Series: Scott Baxter, Their Souls Blend in a Soft Whisper, March
• Illustration: Jon Foster, Of Prehistoric Proportions, May
• Companion Website: arizonahighways.com

Bronze Awards

• Public Issues: Annette McGivney, For Land's Sake, July
• Profile: Kathy Montgomery, Sir David, December
• Reader Service Article: Noah Austin, Robert Stieve and Kelly Vaughn Kramer, Weekend Getaways, January
• Department: The Journal

Awards of Merit

• Historical Feature: Kayla Frost, Of Prehistoric Proportions, May
• Nature and Environment Feature: Annette McGivney, Ba'cho, August
• Art Direction of a Single Story: Barbara Glynn Denney, Jeff Kida and Keith Whitney, The Blue, July
• Cover: Barbara Glynn Denney, Salt River Canyon, November