PHOENIX ‒ Arizona Highways was a big winner in the International Regional Magazine Association awards for 2014. The magazine, produced by the Arizona Department of Transportation, picked up 16 awards, including seven top honors, at a recent ceremony in San Diego.

John Burcham’s “Long Exposure,” a September 2014 portfolio for which Burcham photographed Bismarck Lake near Flagstaff for an entire year, won gold in the Photo Series category. Editor Robert Stieve took home a gold award for that portfolio's headline, and Burcham won silver in the Photographer of the Year competition.

Other 2014 gold winners were for the magazine’s January cover, which featured a shot from the Vermilion Cliffs; Jack Unruh’s illustration of a jaguar (April); Charles Bowden’s “Counting Sheep” (February), an essay about bighorn reintroductions in the Santa Catalina Mountains; Joel Grimes’ portrait of a rodeo announcer (August); and Matt Jaffe’s “Two Men and a Truck” (November), a travelogue from the Navajo Nation.

Arizona Highways’ 16 total awards were the second-most in the competition, behind only Texas Highways’ 17. The seven golds were tied for the most with Down East: The Magazine of Maine.

In addition, Arizona Highways Publisher Win Holden received the Kenneth L. Gibbs Award for Merit, the association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Arizona Highways captures the essence of this state’s exquisite landscapes and byways while promoting Arizona’s brand around the world,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “While we are proud of the individuals who earned these awards, we’re even more proud of Arizona Highways’ role in this agency’s mission of moving Arizona and its economy forward.”

The International Regional Magazine Association was founded in 1960 to support and promote regional magazines in the United States and elsewhere.

Founded in 1925, Arizona Highways is dedicated to promoting travel to and through the state of Arizona. In addition to the world-renowned magazine known for spectacular landscape photography, Arizona Highways publishes travel guide books, calendars and other products to promote travel in Arizona.  The magazine has subscribers in all 50 states and more than 110 countries.

For more information about Arizona Highways and to subscribe, please visit arizonahighways.com.

Gold Awards

‒ Nature & Environment: “Counting Sheep,” Charles Bowden, February 2014
‒ Travel Feature: “Two Men and a Truck,” Matt Jaffe, November 2014
‒ Head and Deck: “Long Exposure,” Robert Stieve, September 2014
‒ Photo Series: “Long Exposure,” John Burcham, September 2014
‒ Portrait Photo: Rodeo announcer (The Journal), Joel Grimes, August 2014
‒ Illustration: Jaguar (Spotted in Southern Arizona), Jack Unruh, April 2014
‒ Cover: Vermilion Cliffs, Barbara Glynn Denney, January 2014

Silver Awards

‒ Public Issues: The Verde, Terry Greene Sterling, March 2014
‒ Single Photo: "Monument Valley (A Picture’s Worth ... Eh, Let’s Skip the Words)," Enio Lanaro, April 2014
‒ Magazine Photographer of the Year: John Burcham
‒ Department: The Journal, Arizona Highways Staff
‒ Special Focus: Winter issue, December 2014
‒ Companion Website: Arizona Highways Staff

Awards of Merit

‒ Service Article: “On the Edge,” Robert Stieve, July 2014
‒ Essay: “A Winter’s Walk,” Craig Childs, January 2014
‒ Art Direction of a Single Story: “French Impressions,” Barbara Glynn Denney, Keith Whitney and Jeff Kida, August 2014

PHOENIX – Wednesday is April Fools’ Day, but this is no joke. As part of the 90th anniversary celebration of Arizona Highways, the magazine will offer a 12-month digital subscription to the first 10,000 customers for just one dollar, the same price for a yearly subscription when the magazine was first published back in 1925.  

The sale will begin at 7 a.m. on April 1 and will last until midnight at arizonahighways.com. A one-year digital subscription typically runs $12. The print version of Arizona Highways magazine (12 issues) is $24 in the United States. The digital magazine is a replica of the print magazine.

“We are extremely proud of our 90-year history and all the changes that we’ve seen and published over the years,” said Arizona Highways Editor Robert Stieve. “Even after nine decades of success with a print magazine, we’re still evolving and we’ve embraced the digital age. Arizona Highways has a large social media audience, so for one day we are offering the online version of the magazine at a special 12-month subscription price to our loyal followers and subscribers and to those who have yet to discover why the magazine is so spectacular.”

Arizona Highways has a large social media presence with 200,000 followers on Facebook, 10,500 followers on Twitter, and 6,500 followers on Instagram. More than one million people read the magazine’s blog each year. In addition, the magazine has subscribers in all 50 states and in 120 countries worldwide.

As part of its 90-year celebration, a special anniversary issue of Arizona Highways was published for the month of April and is on newsstands now. The editorial staff dug through roughly 1,100 issues to assemble a collection of words, photos, ads, maps, art and other memorabilia that proved to be some of the most popular items ever published by the magazine. The content is divided up over nine decades, each decade highlighting the favorites among readers.

The special issue also features custom front and back covers. The original work of art on the front cover was created by world-renowned painter and Arizona native Ed Mell. It combines some of the many elements of the Arizona landscape, along with a highway featured prominently. Signed, limited-edition prints of this fine art are available for sale at $49.99. Proceeds benefit Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona.

The iconic map on the back cover was originally created in 1940 by George Avey, a former art director for the magazine. This is also available as a limited-edition print for $19.99. Both prints are available for purchase at shoparizonahighways.com or by calling 1.800.543.5432.

Arizona Highways is a publication of the Arizona Department of Transportation.

PHOENIX – How do you capture the past 90 years in words and pictures? It’s not an easy task to encapsulate the best of the best in a single issue of a magazine.

April marks 90 years of publication for Arizona Highways magazine.  As a tribute, Arizona Highways has taken a walk through history. The editorial staff dug through roughly 1,100 issues to assemble a collection of words, photos, ads, maps, art and other memorabilia that proved to be some of the most popular items ever published by the magazine. The content is divided up over nine decades, each decade highlighting the favorites among readers.

“We’ve come a long way since 1925, when we ran ads for road graders and published stories about bridge construction,” said Arizona Highways Editor Robert Stieve. “Things got a lot more interesting in 1938, when Editor Raymond Carlson and Art Director George Avey came along. They’re the founding fathers of a magazine that would go on to make publishing history in 1946 with the world’s first all-color publication, get banned in the Soviet Union in 1965 because it was viewed as propaganda, and share the beauty of Arizona with readers in all 50 states and more than 120 countries around the world.”

Arizona Highways’ 90th anniversary issue features so many highlights from years past, that the number of pages was nearly doubled for this issue. Everything from famous photographs by Ansel Adams, colorful paintings by Ted DeGrazia, and breathtaking scenery from every corner of Arizona is included in this special collector’s issue.

There are some treats in store with this 90th anniversary issue for both longtime subscribers and new readers. The April issue features custom front and back covers. The original work of art on the front cover was created by world-renowned painter and Arizona native Ed Mell. It combines some of the many elements of the Arizona landscape, along with a highway featured prominently. Signed, limited-edition prints of this fine art will be available for sale at $49.99. Proceeds will benefit Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona.

The iconic map on the back cover was originally created in 1940 by George Avey. This will also be available as a limited-edition print for $19.99. Both prints will be available for purchase at shoparizonahighways.com or by calling 1.800.543.5432.

Finally, for one day only, a digital 12-month subscription to Arizona Highways will be available on April 1 at the cost of just one dollar, the same price for a subscription to the magazine in 1925, the year it launched. The sale will begin at 8 a.m. on April 1 and last until midnight at arizonahighways.com. The special price for the digital subscription is limited to the first 10,000 customers on April 1.

A one-year subscription to the print version of Arizona Highways magazine (12 issues) is $24 in the United States. For more information on Arizona Highways magazine, or to sign up for a subscription, visit arizonahighways.com.

PHOENIX – When Arizona Highways was first published nearly 90 years ago, the magazine contained just 26 black and white pages with advertising. One thousand copies were distributed, and the price per copy was just ten cents.

The publication’s mission was simple: to tell the people of Arizona and other states about the work being done by the Arizona Highway Department (now the Arizona Department of Transportation).

These days, Arizona Highways magazine is an award-winning, world-renowned travel magazine, featuring spectacular photography from every corner of Arizona and articles that lure travelers to our state.

Arizona Highways can now add ‘Best Travel Magazine’ to its list of awards and honors. The magazine was presented recently with a 2014 ‘Best of Phoenix’ award by the Phoenix New Times.

“Our staff is pleased to receive this recognition from readers of the Phoenix New Times,” said the magazine’s publisher, Win Holden.  “The entire creative team at Arizona Highways takes very seriously the responsibility of maintaining the legacy of photographic and editorial excellence which began close to a century ago. It is always gratifying to earn awards and even more gratifying to introduce new generations of readers to the magazine.”  

Arizona Highways has become famous for its breathtaking photography and has featured the work of renowned photographers like Ansel Adams, Jack Dykinga and David Muench, among many others. In the early years of the magazine, much of the photography started out as black and white. A significant national publishing milestone was achieved when, in 1946, Arizona Highways published the first full-color nationally distributed U.S. magazine. That innovation made national headlines at the time.

Today the magazine circulates in all 50 states and in 120 countries. There are 136,000 monthly paid subscriptions and an additional 30,000 copies of the magazine are sold on newsstands. A one-year subscription to Arizona Highways (12 issues) is $24 in the United States.

For more information on Arizona Highways magazine, or to sign up for a subscription, visit www.arizonahighways.com.

PHOENIX – Win Holden knows a few things about Arizona. As publisher of Arizona Highways magazine – part of the Arizona Department of Transportation – he is a tireless promoter of the splendor and opportunities found across the state.

Since the 1970s, when Holden worked in advertising, he has been a backer of tourism in Arizona. As publisher of Arizona Highways magazine, he directs the award-winning monthly coverage of the state: its best trails, best getaways, best restaurants, best bed-and-breakfast inns, and other unique features to a circulation base of more than 160,000.

“I’m keenly aware of the economic, cultural and robust tourism opportunities and amenities within Arizona,” Holden said. “Ultimately, promoting Arizona is a team effort – no one person can publish the magazine (Arizona Highways) or successfully promote tourism in our state. It requires a coordinated effort that I’m happy to play a small part in.”

Holden was honored with the 2014 Tourism Legacy Award at the 10th Annual Arizona Tourism Unity Dinner on Feb. 12, recognizing the top supporters of tourism in the state. Other winners included the National Park Service, Xanterra (operator of the Grand Canyon lodges) and the town of Tusayan for their combined efforts to keep Grand Canyon National Park open during the 2013 federal government shutdown. The awards are sponsored by the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association.

Arizona Highways magazine is one of the most recognized and celebrated travel publications in the world.

ADOT Director John Halikowski underscores the contribution that Holden and Arizona Highways magazine make to Arizona tourism and the economy of the state. The magazine, which began in 1925 as a journal of Arizona roads and highways, morphed over the years into the state’s premier publication for travel and tourism in Arizona. It is run as an enterprise operation of ADOT.

“Win is a true professional whose love for Arizona and its unique natural beauty is demonstrated each month through the pages of Arizona Highways magazine. Win's efforts to share that beauty with the world have promoted tourism within our great state and supported an industry that brings more than $19 billion in annual visitor spending to Arizona.”