Announcements, applause and strolls to the stage became the rhythm of the day as SIIA’s 69th Annual Jesse H. Neal Awards—the premier awards program honoring B2B journalism—took its usual spring turn at the head of the podium. A filled-to-the-brim New York City media gathering celebrated the festivities.
Fifty-nine awards were presented across 24 categories at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. The biggest winners were IEEE Media (8), Industry Dive (4), Haymarket Media (4), Arizent (3), Crain Communications (3) and Advertising Specialty Institute (3).
The Grand Neal—the biggest prize of the day—was presented to SmartWork Media’s Global Cannabis Times for their winning Best Single Issue of a Tabloid/Newspaper/Magazine). As an example of its excellence, a column from that entry—Tech Spotlight: Bank On It—begins like this:
“At first blush, banking and budtending may not strike you as having much in common. But some pioneering dispensary designers believe that bank branch layouts offer security and service advantages that translate extremely well to the cannabis space.”
Banks to buds may not be offices to condos, but it does highlight a similar 2020s trend. “The Big Lead” in the issue was Cannabis: An Investor’s Guide, and there was even an interview with Vincente Fox, former president of Mexico and a proponent of a legal cannabis model.
View the Neal Awards gallery online, showcasing all the winners and finalists.
Erin Hallstrom, director of digital content strategy for Endeavor Business Media, performed splendidly as the emcee. In addition to the category awards, SIIA also honored the very best of specialized journalism through a series of leadership awards, recognizing mentorship, vision, commitment and editorial ethics and courage. The three winners are:
Scott Blair (pictured right), editor-in-chief for Engineering News-Record at BNP Media Inc., was selected as the 2022-23 McAllister Editorial Fellow. The Fellowship promotes the study of business media by placing fellows as teachers and advisors at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
Northstar Travel Group’s Kenneth Shapiro, VP and publisher/editor-in-chief of TravelAge West, was selected as the winner of the Marianne Dekker Mattera Mentor Award, honoring leaders who excel in mentoring. Dekker was the long-time editor-in-chief of RNMagazine and Medical Economics.
Stacey Moncrieff, executive editor of publications and editor-in-chief of REALTOR Magazine at the National Association of Realtors, received the 55th Annual G.D. Crain Jr. Award, given to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the development of editorial excellence in business media over the course of a career.
In all, 30 organizations won at least one award, showing the amazing depth of talent and ideas in the B2B media landscape. Winning topics ranged from: The Restaurant Mental Health Toolkit to Coverage of a Controversial New Drug for ALS; from Women in Transportation to an EV Mineral Bonanza on Alaska Tribal Land; and from Keeping EMS Informed & Connected to Bionic Vision.
B2B journalism truly touches on the topics that impact everyday life.
Again, view the Neal Awards gallery online with all winners and finalists.
