Pióro

When I started this guide, I knew I wouldn’t be able to give all the categories the attention they deserve. I don’t think I could have done it even if I had started when all the nominations were announced at the beginning of May. But, in an effort wrap this thing up with a big bow, I’m resorting to the way I usually guess at the winner of each category before the NMAs ceremony: with a mix of conjecture, hearsay, petty grievances, corporate alliances and shallow biases as my guides. If someone is willing to pitch in, I’ll add bribery.

So, here it is, my omnibus bill of NMAs predictions.

Art Direction for a Single Magazine Article Going with the home team on this one: Cottage Life, “A Happy Makeshift Vision” [.pdf of story]

Art Direction for an Entire Issue The Grid has some pretty great art direction— Hey, does it count as a magazine? If yes, then I pick the May 19, 2011 issue [.pdf of cover] for its audacity.

Arts and Entertainment Made my pick here.

Beauty Flare, “Main Attraction” [.pdf of story] because I like that one lady’s big hair.

Best Digital Design I couldn’t load these from the NMA site. “Failed to load PDF document” Are .pdfs really the best way to show digital design?

Best Multi-Media Feature See comment above for Best Digital Design. Someone had told me that “Jessica Allen at TIFF” was really good. I trust this someone and so should you.

Best New Magazine Writer Ryerson Review of Journalism, “Not All Smurfs and Sunshine,” is the only story I’ve read in this category. Therefore, it is the one that I think it will win. Matthew Scianitti has a lot going on: he’s written a solid profile of Esquire writer Chris Jones; Scianitti spells his given name like I spell my own, with two t’s; and he’s had this story pushed by Longreads. Throw in an NMA and wow.

Best New Visual Creator Report on Business, “Solar” [.pdf of story]

Best Short Feature L’actualité, “Collection de guerre”

Best Single Issue Up Here, “The North Poll, May 2011” [.pdf of story] even though it appears to have nothing to do with Santa Claus.

Business I’m guessing one of those magazines with “business” in its name will win: Canadian Business or Report on Business. A very nice editor at ROB gave me my first fact-checking assignment years ago so go ROB! “Good Times in the Gulag” [.pdf of story] for the gold. Good times, indeed.

Columns No one has won more NMAs than Robert Fulford. He has 14 gold awards and three silver. Can the Fuggernaut  be stopped? (And can I say “Fuggernaut?”) I don’t think so [.pdf of stories].

Creative Photography Canadian Art, “quniqjuk, qunbuq, quabaa” [.pdf of story].

Editorial Package Loyal like a puppy dog: picking the home team. explore, “Top 30 Under 30” [.pdf of story].

Essays Fuggernaut—the dude is in the dictionary. Queen’s Quarterly, “The Artist as Scoundrel” [.pdf of story].

Fashion The lady in “Nature of Prints” [.pdf of story] (Flare) raided my mom’s closet from 1975.

Fiction Malahat Review, “Next Year, For Sure” [.pdf of story].

Health and Medicine Québec science “‘Quand je serai plus là, qui va s’occuper de mes poissons?’” [.pdf of story].

Homes and Gardens Canadian House and Home has more than half of the nominations in this category. I’m going with “Mindfully Minimal” [.pdf of story].

How-To Made my pick here.

Humour Made my pick here.

Illustration For sure “One Man in a Boat” [.pdf of story] from explore because of one little illo that has what looks like a little canoeist Luke Skywalker flipping the bird to a lockmaster Darth Vader.

Investigative Reporting Made my pick here.

Magazine Covers The circulation department at my company agrees that the Report on Business cover with Jeff Mallett on the cover is the strongest [.pdf of cover]. Sure, that’s two people, but that’s two circulators. Agreeing. For more on a circulator’s thoughts on covers, see special guest analyst Amanda Beattie’s discussion.

Magazine of the Year (Digital) The Grid, if it really is a magazine.

Magazine of the Year (Print) I want Outdoor Canada to win because I work with those guys and they can shoot guns. But, I think Maisonneuve will get this. Don’t tell anyone at Cottage Life Media Inc. that I said that.

One of a Kind I think this is the miscellaneous category. The Walrus cribbed the headline for “Adrift on the Nile” from a fine book by Naguib Mahfouz, so sure, that one.

Personal Journalism “All In” [.pdf of story] by Don Gillmor in Eighteen Bridges.

Photojournalism and Photo Essay The Walrus, ”Amazon of the North” [.pdf of story].

Poetry The three seemingly authorless poems from Grain [.pdf of poetry].

Politics and Public Interest Alberta Views, “The Rule of Law” [.pdf of story].

Portrait Photography Toronto Life, “Cop-Out” [.pdf of story].

Profiles Made my pick here.

Science, Technology and Environment Made my pick here.

Service: Health and Family I’m keen on seeing Homemakers get an award from the grave. They give the choice of sex or drugs. I’m feeling the drugs: “Drugs Made to Measure” [.pdf of story].

Service: Lifestyle Today’s Parent, “Party People” [.pdf of story]

Service: Personal Finance and Business MoneySense, “The Real Cost of Raising Kids” [.pdf of story].

Single Service Article Package explore, “58 Ways to Do Summer Better” [.pdf of story].

Society The Walrus, “The Farms are Not All Right.”

Sports Made my pick here.

Spot Illustration More, “Post-Secondary Distress” [.pdf of story].

Still-Life Photography NUVO, “Propped” [.pdf of story].

Travel Made my pick here.

Words and Pictures Made my pick here.