Nation’s Most Prestigious Magazine Awards Select Mother Jones as Finalist in Three Categories, Including General Excellence

The nation’s most prestigious magazine awards announced that Mother Jones is a finalist in three categories, for general excellence, video, and essay. The American Society of Magazine Editors will announce the winners April 2 in New York.

“For nearly 50 years, Mother Jones has worked diligently to shed light on the most important and sometimes overlooked stories in our country, and we’re grateful to have our journalism recognized for pushing the debate,” said Mother Jones Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery. “Keeping democracy alive requires an independent and vigilant press, and we’re proud to offer thoughtful and provocative ideas about the biggest issues of our time.”

The general excellence award is considered the top honor for magazines in the United States, and is based on a news organization’s overall content appearing across print, website, and social media. Mother Jones is competing against other news outlets focused on literature, science, and politics. This is the second year in a row that Mother Jones has been named a finalist for general excellence, and it has been selected a finalist 12 times since 2001. It won in 2001, 2008, and 2010; in 2017, it also won Magazine of the Year.

In the video category, the judges recognized Mother Jones’ Video Correspondent Garrison Hayes, who forged a new direction for the organization’s proud tradition of explanatory reporting. His videos focus on connecting historical events with present-day racism, and the three videos in contention racked up more than 6 million views.

In the essay category, judges selected the cover story from Mother Jones’ May+June 2023 issue, written by author and climate activist Bill McKibben. In his 4,500-word piece, titled “Yes in Our Backyards,” McKibben forcefully urged environmentalists in the United States to stop opposing the construction of housing and clean energy infrastructure in their communities. White House Senior Advisor John Podesta quoted from McKibben’s essay during a May 10, 2023, public event about energy infrastructure.

In 2023, Mother Jones won the American Society of Magazine Editors’ award for best video, and was also a finalist for reporting, both of which covered how women in Oklahoma were receiving far longer prison sentences than their romantic partners who abused them and their children.