Luna Media Press Release | 24 November 2006
The coveted Magazine of the Year and the Editor of the Year trophies have been scooped by Australia's newest science magazine, COSMOS.
THE GLOSSY POPULAR science magazine COSMOS has won an unprecedented eight honours at Australia’s Bell Magazine Awards, including the coveted Magazine of the Year and Editor of the Year.
The 2006 awards, given annually by the magazine industry association, Australian Business & Specialist Publishers, were presented at a gala ceremony in Sydney’s Four Seasons Hotel on Friday 24 November. The event was held before an audience of almost 500 and was hosted by Ita Butrose AO OBE, the seasoned publisher, journalist and media personality. It was judged by a panel of 32 independent industry specialists and academics who selected winners in 33 categories.
Wilson da Silva won Editor of the Year – for the second consecutive year – for COSMOS, which judges described as a “stylish, ambitious and erudite publication.”
Wilson da Silva, the editor of COSMOS, won Editor of the Year – for the second consecutive year – in what the judges have described as a “stylish, ambitious and erudite publication, realised through the vision of an editor”. He also picked up Best Opinion Series for his incisive editorials throughout the year.
The magazine’s new website, Cosmos Online, which features daily news and features, won Best Internet Site – despite launching only five months earlier. The magazine’s technical director Anthony Willis collected the hotly-contested award.
Meanwhile, the magazine’s editorial assistant Kate Holdsworth snapped up the Best Newcomer to Journalism award – pipping COSMOS colleague, staff writer Erica Harrison, who was also finalist and received a Highly Commended certificate. Another finalist was deputy editor Sara Phillips, whose cover story “The Water Crisis” in June 2006 was a finalist for Best Single Article.
Luna Media, the publishers of COSMOS, also picked up Best Small Publisher, against a tough line-up of finalists that included Australian Geographic, recently acquired by ACP Magazines.
But it was COSMOS‘s win of the Best Consumer Magazine (Print Run Over 30,000) – ahead of Australian Geographic, Wellbeing and Auto Salon Magazine – that set it up as a finalist for the coveted overall award of Magazine of the Year, which it also won.
“We were delighted and amazed to do so well,” said publisher Kylie Ahern, who collected the Best Small Publisher and Consumer Magazine of the Year trophies. “It shows that a commitment to excellence pays dividends. Luna Media may be small today, but we are innovative, ambitious, and we are going places. Watch this space.”
“This augurs well for our new green lifestyle title, G Magazine: the same team who scooped the pool at this year’s Bell Awards are also behind it,” said Wilson da Silva, who is editor-in-chief of the bold new title launched on November 22. “We have high hopes for G Magazine: there’s a growing desire to do something about the environmental issues facing us. G Magazine will try to show readers how to do it without abandoning their lifestyles.”
“This augurs well for our new green lifestyle title, G Magazine: the same team who scooped the pool at this year’s Bell Awards are also behind it.”
“Small publishers can be innovative, and G Magazine is a good example of the next wave of publishing: entertaining and intelligent, light without being trite,” said Dr Alan Finkel, Luna Media’s Chairman and the neuroscientist and entrepreneur who co-founded Luna Media. “People want practical, evidence-based solutions to living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. We hope G Magazine will quickly become a trusted and respected guide to the green consumer landscape.”
Even the production excellence of COSMOS was recognised, with printers Offset Alpine winning the Best Single Issue Print Magazine category with the December 2005 issue of COSMOS.
Australian Business & Specialist Publishers was founded in 1964 and represents most of the country’s magazine publishers. It has 120 publisher members who produce 500 magazines. This year, the Bell Magazine Awards attracted 230 entries across its 33 categories.
List of wins by COSMOS at the 2006 Bell Magazine Awards:
Magazine of the Year: COSMOS – Kylie Ahern and Wilson da Silva
Editor of the Year: Wilson da Silva, COSMOS
Best Small Publisher: Luna Media – Kylie Ahern, Alan Finkel and Wilson da Silva
Best Consumer Magazine: COSMOS – Kylie Ahern and Wilson da Silva
Best Internet Site: Anthony Willis, Cosmos Online
Best Newcomer to Journalism: Kate Holdsworth, COSMOS
Best Opinion Series: Wilson da Silva, COSMOS
Highly Commended, Best Newcomer to Journalism: Erica Harrison, COSMOS
ABOUT COSMOS
COSMOS is a bi-monthly print magazine. It was launched in June 2005 by Luna Media Pty Ltd, a boutique publishing house in Sydney founded by four individuals: Melbourne neuroscientist and entrepreneur Dr Alan Finkel, magazine publishing executive Kylie Ahern and science journalists Wilson da Silva and Elizabeth Finkel. In November 2006 it launched its second print title, G Magazine, and in June 2006 launched its first Internet news and features service, COSMOS Online.