Best Website
Third: Satellite
Second: Magneto
Winner: Canta
Judge Russell Brown said Canta was the clear winner. He praised the bold, simple design and use of colour and appreciated the small touches like the ‘Last 7 Days’ panel in the news section. A smart, well-kept website with a distinctive look.
Best Headline
Third: Canta
Second: Critic
Winner: Magneto—”Can you manage a trois?”
Judge Jim Curran said he’d unhesitatingly plagiarise Magneto’s headline. Extremely clever word play, guaranteed to pull the reader into the story. An instant smile of a headline.
Best Cartoonist
Third: Stephan Gillan, Critic
Second: William Sainsbury, Chaff
Winner: Sam Northcott, Salient
Judge Al Nisbet said Sam’s hand drawings were fresh and energetic. They were well layed out, with slightly manic themes – not to mention Al found himself smiling at them.
Best Original Photography
Third: Critic
Winner – first equal: InUnison and Sarah Burton, Magneto
Judge Mark Taylor said InUnison’s images were fun with clear lighting. Magneto’s entry was a great selection of studio shots.
Best Sports Writer
Third: Angela McGuigan, Magneto
Winner – first equal: Sebastian Boyle, Canta and Liam Mitchell, Craccum
Judge Steve Kilgallon says Liam’s entry demonstrated he has a good writing style and he covered an interesting range of topics. He says Sebastian made the effort to go and talk to people and find a real story on his own patch of direct relevance to readers.
Best Education Series
Third: Chaff
Second: Salient
Winner: Critic
Judge Nicola Kean said Critic was the clear winner. Critic tackled a complicated, important issue and did so with wit and style. The entry was engaging and interesting, full of dirt and scandal.
Best Humour
Second equal: The Rt Hon Winston Peters, Chaff and Spencer Dowson, Craccum
Winner: Brendan Kelly, Debate
Judge John Ong said Brendan writes punchy, clever and dark satire. It’s well paced and tightly written, which means it isn’t plagued with utter banality.
Best Reviewer
Third: Tom Ainge-Roy, Critic
Second: Adam Goodall, Salient
Winner: Richard Swainson, Nexus
Judge Margaret Agnew said Richard’s entries showed he was fantastically film literate. Although a little verbose, he has a nice overall reviewing style.
Best Columnist
Third equal: Harry Caldicott and Jim Wilson, Chaff and Saraid Cameron, InUnison
Second: Mrs John Wilmot, Critic
Winner: David Farrier, Craccum
Judge David Slack says David Farrier writes with verve, imagination and punch – like he’s thrown a party in a column.
Best Cover
Third: Nexus
Second: Critic
Winner: InUnison
Judge William Chen said of the 33 covers submitted, the the standout “What’s Your Carbon Footprint?” set the In Unison portfolio apart. This clever concept took centre stage, its handwritten masthead and cover lines mimicking the topic in slightly smudged charcoal lettering – a creative twist on a hotly debated issue to pique the interest via a fiery footprint. The strikingly topical “Sins” and “Guilty Pleasures” also impressed, with the whimsical and anecdotal humour of the latter punctuating the cover design. All three entries fulfilled the basic tenets of an effective cover.
Best Editorial Writer
Third: Art Robinson, Nexus
Second: Sebastian Boyle, Canta
Winner: William Muirhead, Chaff
Judge James Robinson said William’s editorials were a foot above the rest. They were well thought out, well researched well articulated and well organised. James felt like he was being told something concrete that even if he didn’t agree he could still appreciate the perspective.
Best News Writer (Unpaid)
Second equal: Vaughan Alderson, Debate and Stella Blake-Kelly, Salient
Winner: Teuila Fuatai, Critic
Judge Keith Ng said Teuila’s entry set the most consistent standard. She had obviously put time and effort in to her piece on a fatal assault at a McDonalds. In other entries, she showed humour and solid news judgement.
Best News Writer (Paid)
Third: Sebastian Boyle, Canta
Second: Matt Shand, Magneto
Winner: Gregor Whyte, Critic
Judge Graeme Baker said Gregor dealt with important issues in a clear and thorough manner, while allowing for humour. Gregor’s copy was tailored to its audience in both subject and tone. The entry was entertaining, educating and informative – Gregor’s writing style would easily fit into the pages of the Herald.
Best Feature Writer
Third: Sebastian Boyle, Canta
Second: Matt Shand, Magneto
Winner: Charlotte Greenfield, Critic
Judge Tim Watkin said that Charlotte’s features were above all else credible stories that offer a range of voices on a wide variety of subjects, subjects that will interest her readers. She does the basics well. The stories are local – even the one that isn’t – and tells the reader things they don’t already know. Importantly, the facts are accurate and the opinions well attributed.
Best Feature
Third equal: Jess Bignell, Chaff and Craig Robertson, Craccum
Second: Elle Hunt, Salient
Winner: Dr Z, Critic.
Judge Donna Chisholm said she didn’t want to like Critic’s entry, but it got her in the end. It’s not a new idea, but Dr Z delivered the story of his wasted weekend with real panache that lifted it from run-of-the-mill first person piece to the seriously funny. Perfectly pitched. And nutmeg – who knew?
Best Design
Third equal: Salient and Craccum
Second: Magneto
Winner: InUnison
Judge Sally Fullam says InUnison is a very professional, cohesive, well-designed magazine. There is a very high standard of photography, lovely use of illustration and beautiful, original and playful typography throughout this magazine. There is excellent attention to detail – the creative use of fonts, drop caps and pull quotes. The use of colour is nicely juxtaposed against white space. Designer, Mark Lovatt and his team of contributors should be very proud of their achievements.
Best Small Publication
Third: InUnison
Second: Magneto
Winner: Canta
Best Publication
Second equal: Critic and Magneto
The winner of the best publication award for 2011 is: Salient.
Judge Simon Wilson says Salient is witty, intensely self-involved in a rather endearingly self-deprecatory way.
Judge Jackson Wood says Salient is a humming magazine which has by far the best balance of news, features, humour, students’ association garbage and everything that makes up the quintessential student rag.
The design pops.
On the cover every week it says “the organ of student opinion” and judging from the diverse array of content and debate on the letters pages it is fulfilling that role.