ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration 2024 finalists and winners announced. Read the press release, with links to finalists and winners, here.

Established in 2020, the ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration honor magazines and websites for visual excellence. The awards also recognize the unique importance of design, photography and illustration to the practice of magazine journalism both in print and online and celebrate the visual heritage of magazines and websites. Finalists receive certificates of recognition. Winners receive awards displaying images of their award-winning work. The ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration are judged and presented with the National Magazine Awards.

The ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration categories have been significantly revised this year to honor a broader range of work and clarify submission requirements. The ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration celebrate the individual achievements of art directors and photo editors as well as photographers and illustrators, whereas the National Magazine Awards for Design and Photography honor magazines and websites for overall excellence. Entry fees for the ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration are significantly lower than entry fees for the National Magazine Awards. The ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration are judged at the same time and in the same way as the National Magazine Awards. Finalists and winners receive recognition at the annual ASME Awards presentation.

For the National Magazine Awards for Design and Photography, click here

Any magazine or website edited and published in the United States is eligible to enter the ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration. Other creators and publishers of magazine-like content, including newspapers and newsletters, are also eligible. Marketing and promotional magazines and websites are not eligible. No entry may be submitted without the approval of the editors of the publication in which the work appeared. The administrators of the awards reserve the right to determine if a media organization qualifies for entry.

Entries are subject to the following conditions:

1. Print content must be dated 2024. Entries consisting of one example of work may include content dated December 2024/January 2025 or an equivalent, such as Fall 2024/Winter 2025 (content dated December 2023/January 2024 or an equivalent is not eligible). Entries consisting of two or more examples of work may include one example dated January 2025 or an equivalent, such as Winter 2025.

2. Digital content must have been largely produced in 2024. Screenshots may be requested to verify publication dates.

3. Any use of artificial intelligence in the creation of an entry must be described in the entry statement that is part of each submission.

4. No entry can duplicate an entry in another category. An image may, for example, be entered alone in one category and as part of an editorial package in a second category but may not be entered alone or as part of the same package in still another category.

5. Entries may include content from special-interest and newsstand-only publications.

6. Excerpts from previously published fiction and nonfiction books are not eligible except as part of an entry in Category 1, Best News and Entertainment Design, and Category 2, Best Service and Lifestyle Design.

7. A website channel may submit entries separately from its parent site if the channel has an independent brand identity.

8. Content entered in the National Magazine Awards may also be entered in the ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration.

9. Entries found to be in violation of commonly accepted editorial standards, including the ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers, may be disqualified at any time.

10. The administrators of the ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration may at their own discretion extend the deadline for entry in any category.

See the category descriptions for more information.

Selection of Finalists and Winners Five finalists, including a winner, are expected to be chosen in eachcategory by a panel of judges chosen by the administrators of the awards in consultation with the members of the ASME Board of Directors. No magazine or website will be nominated more than once in any category except as the partner of another publication. Judges include the chief editors, art directors and photo editors of leading magazines and websites. Most are members of ASME. A list of the judges will be published when the ASME Awards are presented in April 2025. Judging results are subject to the approval of the ASME Board of Directors. Awards may be withheld in any category in which the entries fall below the standard of excellence set by the ASME Board of Directors or in which the number of entries is deemed insufficient by the administrators of the awards. PDFs of or links to finalists and winners are distributed to all entrants and judges after the announcement of the awards.

Judging Criteria Judges will evaluate entries in each of the nine categories listed below based on the achievement of visual excellence as demonstrated by the quality and consistency of the content submitted; the ambition, resourcefulness and skill of art and photography staff and contributors; and the use of design, photography and illustration to fulfill the editorial mission of the publication. Digital-only and multiplatform entries may also be judged based on functional excellence and user accessibility. Special weight will be given to creative and technical innovation.

PRINT AND DIGITAL CATEGORIES 1–9

Rules and Eligibility: Publications edited by ASME members may submit four entries in each of these categories. Nonmembers may submit two. Entries may be submitted as print or digital content or as a combination of print and digital content.

1 BEST NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT DESIGN
This category honors the art direction of print, digital or multiplatform stories or packages covering topics such as politics, business, science, technology, entertainment and professional sports. An entry consists of an article or a series of as many as three related articles; a clearly branded editorial package; a website as represented by as many as 10 links; or a complete print issue. A related magazine cover may be submitted as part of an entry.

2 BEST SERVICE AND LIFESTYLE DESIGN
This category honors the art direction of print, digital or multiplatform stories or packages covering topics such as fashion, food, travel, design, health, parenting, personal finance and active sports. An entry consists of an article or a series of as many as three related articles; a clearly branded editorial package; a website as represented by as many as 10 links; or a complete print issue. A related magazine cover may be submitted as part of an entry.

3 BEST SOCIAL MEDIA
This category honors the art and photo direction of work created specially for social platforms. An entry consists of one or as many as three examples of work on one or more platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. Each example of work may be represented by as many as five posts. One or as many as three related magazine or website articles may be submitted in support of an entry.

4 BEST NEWS AND DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY
This category honors the visual coverage of topics such as politics, business, science, technology, society and culture as well as news events and news makers. An entry consists of one or as many as three photographs or photo illustrations published together or separately; an article or a series of as many as three related articles; or a clearly branded editorial package. Entries may include work by more than one photographer. One or as many as three magazine covers may be submitted as an entry or as part of an entry.

5 BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHY
This category honors the visual coverage of topics such as entertainment and professional sports as well as celebrity portraiture. An entry consists of one or as many as three photographs or photo illustrations published together or separately; an article or a series of as many as three related articles; or a clearly branded editorial package. Entries may include work by more than one photographer. One or as many as three magazine covers may be submitted as an entry or as part of an entry.

6 BEST SERVICE AND LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY
This category honors the visual coverage of topics such as fashion, food, travel, design, health, parenting, personal finance and active sports. An entry consists of one or as many as three photographs or photo illustrations published together or separately; an article or a series of as many as three related articles; or a clearly branded editorial package. Entries may include work by more than one photographer. One or as many as three magazine covers may be submitted as an entry or as part of an entry.

7 BEST STILL ILLUSTRATIONS
This category honors still images published in print or on a digital platform. An entry consists of one or as many as three related illustrations by the same or different illustrators published together or separately. One or as many as three magazine covers or landing pages by the same or different illustrators may be submitted as an entry or as part of an entry.

8 BEST ANIMATED ILLUSTRATIONS
This category honors animated images published on a digital platform. An entry consists of one or as many as three related illustrations by the same or different illustrators published together or separately. One or as many as three magazine covers or landing pages by the same or different illustrators may be submitted as an entry or as part of an entry.

9 BEST ILLUSTRATED STORIES
This category honors visual narrative published in print or on a digital platform. An entry consists of one or as many as three related articles, which may include work by more than one illustrator or writer. One or as many as three related magazine covers or landing pages may be submitted as part of an entry.

Download the 2025 Call for Entries

Create an Account | Submit an Entry

For instructions, fees and an explanation of the deadlines, click here

To view the ASME Awards 2024 winners’ gallery, visit asme.media

For more information, email asme@asme.media or call 212.872.3737