The Maggies: Vogue Australia Announced As Magazine Cover Of The Year

Vogue Australia Awarded Cover of the Year
Sydney, Australia (25 October, 2010): The September 2009 issue of Vogue Australia has beaten off fierce competition to be hailed as winner of The Maggies: Magazine Cover of the Year. The beautiful cover featuring an illustration of Australian actress Cate Blanchett, beat titles across all nine categories, including Better Homes & Gardens, WHO, Wildlife Australia, Waves and donna hay to be crowned overall Magazine Cover of the Year, as well as winning the Fashion, Health & Beauty category.

Category winners:

Overall Winner Vogue Australia (September 2009)

Business & Trade Winner - Australian Business Solutions (April/May 2010)

Fashion, Health & Beauty Winner - Vogue Australia (September 2009)

Food & Wine Winner - donna hay (Aug/Sept 2009)

House & Garden Winner - Better Homes & Gardens (December 2009)

Lifestyle Winner - Who (April 12, 2010)

Science, Tech & Nature Winner - Wildlife Australia (Winter 2010)

Specialist Winner - Professional Educator (June 2010)

Sports Winner Waves (February 2010)

Your & Pop Culture Winner - Total Girl (May 2010)

The fashion title, known for epitomizing the finest in fashion, design and journalism, enlisted the help of fashion illustrator, David Downton, to produce four different illustrations of Blanchett for the 50th Anniversary Collector's edition (alternative covers not considered in the judging). Downton said of his sitting with Blanchett, "The whole thing was beautifully unhurried and beautifully handled. In fact, it was like being a 'master of fashion illustration' for a whole day."

The illustrated cover was a bold step for the fashion magazine whose tag-line is 'Before it's in fashion, it's in Vogue'. Downton said, "Maybe this award and the fact that the magazine sold out will help [convince more magazines to use illustration on the cover]. We are a world saturated by photographic imagery; everyone with a camera phone is now a 'photographer.' But illustration tells an alternative story of fashion, one that is highly personal and just as valid."

Vogue's Editor-in-Chief, Kirstie Clements, said of the accolade, "It's lovely to be recognized. I'm very proud of this cover. It was our art director Ella Munro who came up with the idea of commissioning David Downton. Melding the tradition of fashion illustration with a modern actress wearing current fashion was a visual summation of the magazine's history. We were celebrating the past, with an eye on the present."

Initiated by online subscription company, iSUBSCRiBE, and sponsored by Australia Post, the covers entered in The Maggies were shortlisted by a panel of industry heavyweights, Chaired by Ita Buttrose. This shortlist was then put to a public vote via www.themaggies.com.au, where over 75,000 votes were cast during a five week period.

The judges agreed the September cover met the shortlist criteria in that it 'possessed a high standard of imaginative design, photography, illustration and sales impact; successfully balanced the image with the coverlines, and encapsulated the brand with something unexpected that grabs the attention of the consumer.'

Buttrose said of the winning cover, "Vogue Australia's 50th Anniversary issue cover is in a class all of its own. Glamorous, elegant, supremely confident as you'd expect from Australia's top-selling fashion bible but daringly different, with Cate Blanchett portrayed in a way not usually seen on magazine covers and only one cover line. Brilliant choice of celebrity; brilliant execution of a cover."
Publishers were encouraged to donate to children's cancer charity, Camp Quality, plus everyone who voted received a $5 iSUBSCRiBE gift voucher, with $1 from magazine subscriptions purchased with this voucher going to charity. Over $17,000 has been raised so far, with this figure set to rise.

About iSUBSCRiBE

iSUBSCRiBE is the leading and most comprehensive online magazine and newspaper subscription superstore, currently operating in 3 countries - Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Representing over 800 publishing clients worldwide and listing subscriptions for nearly 3,800 different titles - iSUBSCRiBE has the largest range of any company in our field. A privately owned and proudly Australian company, its development of The Maggies shows the company's commitment to improving the popularity of Australia's great magazine publishing industry.

About Australia Post

Celebrating over 200 years in operation, Australia Post is one of the most progressive postal services in the world. It is also part of the fabric of Australian life; and through its people, products, services and community investment, Australia Post contributes to everyday life and business success across the nation. With a solid record of adaptation and innovation, Australia Post's sponsorship of The Maggies shows the company's commitment to the subscription marketing of the publishing industry.

For more information please contact Paula Vinogradov, iSUBSCRiBE Ltd on telephone 02 9251 3500, mobile 0404 862933 or email [email protected] or Gemma Owen on email [email protected]

SPONSORED BY: Australia Post
BROUGHT TO YOU BY: iSUBSCRiBE

SOURCE: iSUBSCRiBE