The Washington Post Magazine was recognized by the American Society of Magazine Editors with an Ellie Award in the single-issue category for the special issue, “Prison.” The issue aimed to shed light on incarceration and was written, illustrated and photographed by people who have been—or are currently—incarcerated, allowing readers to hear from voices that are often invisible in the debate around prison and criminal justice.
“As journalists, our mandate is to give Americans the information they need to make informed decisions as citizens of a democracy. And at The Washington Post Magazine, we’ve been working hard in recent years to convey this information in ways that are creative and unexpected” said Richard Just, The Post Magazine’s editor. “Prison is an extremely consequential aspect of American society, yet it’s something that most Americans have very little understanding of. We hope that, by partnering with people who have been in prison, we were able to help readers understand a bit more about the experiences of incarcerated Americans. We’re grateful to everyone who wrote for this issue, created the illustrations and took the photos. And we’re grateful to ASME for recognizing their work.”
This award-winning issue was spearheaded by The Post’s Features Projects Editor Alexa McMahon and Articles Editor Whitney Joiner. Art Directors Suzette Moyer, Christian Font and Michael Johnson and Photo Editor Dudley Brooks lead the visual side of creating the issue.
The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design.