Awards

Each year, the City and Regional Magazine Association provides awards for excellence to qualified member organizations in designated categories. The awards are managed on CRMA’s behalf by the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

The 2025 CRMA awards contest is open, and there’s a new Call for Entries available to members. You’ll notice there are several changes to the 2025 CRMA Call for Entries. These are based on the information gathered during Spring 2024 focus groups and member survey results as well as contest entry numbers from the past several years. Overall, we wanted to simplify the Call for Entries, including the category descriptions, and allow magazines more freedom in entering what they considered their best work of the year. Here are some highlights:

• We’ve removed the limit on the number of entries a magazine can submit in each category (with a few exceptions) while restricting the number of finalists per category for a single magazine to two.
• A story can now be entered in Writing AND Editorial divisions as well as be entered in Design AND Editorial divisions.
• The new rules will allow a story to be entered in only one category in each division (Writing, Design, Editorial) with the exception of Writer of the Year, Illustration and Graphics, Designer of the Year, Excellence in Writing, Excellence in Design.
• We’ve removed the restriction that stated entries in Writing, Design and Editorial divisions must all come from the PRIMARY print publication.
  • Online stories can be entered in all Writing categories.
  • Stories or designs from ancillary publications can be entered in Writing, Design and Editorial categories, including Profile and Feature story, Cover Excellence, Spread Design, etc.

• Three categories have been broken into circulation groups (less than 45,000 and more than 45,000): Cover Excellence, Leisure/Lifestyle Interests, Food or Dining Feature Package.

Do spend some extra time with the new Call for Entries to familiarize yourself with the changes.

We want all magazines to participate in the contest. Last year 34 of the 47 magazines that entered the contest (or 72%) were finalists, an 8% increase over the previous year. In addition, last year 18 different magazines were named winners, the most in 10 years. 

Please reach out to Jennifer Rowe at RoweJ@missouri.edu or at 573-882-6839 if you have any questions.

Magazines that have had changes in their circulation that affect what circulation group they are in should contact Cate Sanderson at Sandersonmtg@gmail.com or 203-515-9294.