Sonoma magazine honored in contests

Sonoma magazine, relaunched in the fall of 2013, has in its first year of eligibility been honored as a finalist in two prestigious national magazine contests.

In addition, the magazine is winner of a Merit Award from the Society of Publication Designers (SPD) for Best Illustrated Cover, for the March/April 2014 “Our Favorite Things” issue.

Last month, the City & Regional Magazine Association named Sonoma as one of five finalists in the General Excellence category, the equivalent in the magazine publishing world of a “Best Picture” nomination at the Academy Awards. The winner will be revealed at the national conference in Dallas on June 1.

Two weeks later, the Western Publishing Association chose Sonoma magazine as a finalist in eight separate Maggie Award categories, including Best Regional & State Magazine. Among the others are Best Feature Article, for a story about youth homelessness in Sonoma County (“Lost in Paradise”), and Best News Story, for an article about California’s drought (“Thirst”).

The September/October 2014 Harvest issue was chosen as a finalist for Best Cover, Best Special Themed Issue, and Best Overall Publication Design.

Also, a photograph (“Shaken”) from the photo essay on the Napa earthquake in the November/December 2014 issue was chosen as a finalist in the Best Single Editorial Photograph category, and the infographic “So You Want to Visit a Tasting Room,” from the September/October 2014 issue, was named finalist in the Best Single Editorial Illustration.

Winners of the Maggie Awards will be announced on May 1 at an awards ceremony in Los Angeles.