The Alliance of Area Business Publishers (AABP) presented its annual Editorial Excellence awards to newspaper and magazine business periodicals at the closing celebration of its three-day annual Summer Conference on June 21, 2024, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
AABP conducts an Editorial and Design Excellence Competition annually. The competition is coordinated and judged by faculty in the University of Missouri School of Journalism. The purpose of the competition is to encourage a high level of journalistic performance and service to communities by recognizing editorial excellence and outstanding visual presentation in regional business publications.
Awarded to Florida Trend at the AABP conference:
- Best Overall Design – Magazine [Bronze]
Gary Bernloehr, Jason Morton The judges said: "Entertaining portraits and conceptually interactive environmental photographs grace the covers and beckon to the reader. Creative typographic design with a limited font set is fun and noteworthy. The page designs are consistently great from the colorful photography to the creative page compositions, to the smallest of graphic elements that bring visual joy to the design. The page designs, from features to trend lines, are thoughtful and well-executed."
- Best Magazine [Bronze]
David Denor, Amy Keller, Gary Bernloehr, Mike Vogel, Michael Fechter, Mike Brassfield, Jason Morton The judges said: "This is a nicely balanced publication with a comfortable, accessible look and an engaging voice. Design is consistent with good use of visuals and thoughtful navigation to guide the reader. “Around the State” is a good example, covering multiple communities with a strong mix of news about real estate, higher education, small business, transportation, manufacturing, health care, energy, development and more. Special reports are especially noteworthy, particularly one about the future of Florida’s stance on personal injury lawsuits. Every issue is a deep well of information that demonstrates smart use of the resources."
- Best Feature Layout - Magazine [Bronze]
“Towering Uncertainty”; Gary Bernloehr, Jason Morton The judges said: "The image and headline treatment on the opening spread complement and reflect each other in composition and form. The visual relationship of the two superbly communicates an uncertain danger. The message is clear, straight to the point and extremely powerful. The subsequent pages are well organized with details, sidebars and interesting photography." - Best Use of Photography/Illustrations – Magazines [Bronze]
Gary Bernloehr, Jason Morton The judges said: "Readers are easily drawn in by full-bleed photo spreads, including the creative “Child’s Play” opening photo illustration and the fun group portraits. Whether with ants, or underwater photography, or in memory of Jimmy Buffet, the full bleed images create impact. The use of the archival photos in “Eight Watershed Moments” showcases great visual storytelling. There are many well-chosen images for the “Enabling Orion” story, one of several pages honoring the Space Coast." - Best Personality Profile LARGE Magazine [Silver]
“Full Circle”; Mike Vogel The judges said: "The subject of this story, Madeline Pumariega, truly came full circle from being a student at Miami Dade College to becoming its first female president. She brings that experience, as well as her background as the child of immigrants, into how she runs the school. The writer deftly tells the story of a woman’s success as well as the thoroughly reported context of the challenges facing community colleges." - Best Feature, Single Story LARGE Magazine [Silver]
“Sowing Solar”; Mike Vogel, South Florida editor The judges said: "This well-sourced story elucidates the many complexities and tradeoffs involved as Florida moves toward sustainable sources of energy. Crisp, simple graphics illustrate key concepts, and data from public records enhance the story’s depth."