Variety Wins 2 National Magazine Awards for Best Entertainment and Conceptual Covers From ASME

Variety has won two best cover awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors.

Variety‘s “Michael J. Fox Tells His Story” issue, which ran May 17, 2023, and features an in-depth interview with Michael J. Fox, won for best entertainment and celebrity cover. Haley Kluge served as the issue’s creative director, collaborating with visual director Jennifer Dorn. The cover was photographed by Platon.

Variety‘s “No Words. What the Writers Strike Means for Hollywood” issue, which ran May 3, 2023, and focused on the start of the Writer’s Guild of America strike, won for best conceptual cover. Kluge also served as the issue’s creative director. Variety’s editorial staff was quick to create the issue on deadline, publishing barely 48 hours after the WGA called its first strike in 15 years.

Variety‘s “Scarlett” issue, which showcased actress Scarlett Johansson and sparked the start of Cannes coverage, ran May 9, 2023, and was a finalist for readers’ choice awards top vote-getters. Kluge and Dorn teamed again for the issue with Mary Ellen Matthews as photographer.

“We are honored to receive this recognition from ASME,” say Ramin Setoodeh and Cynthia Littleton, Variety‘s co-editors-in-chief. “In the last few years, Variety has evolved into one of the strongest weekly entertainment magazines in the country, and we share this award with our visual director Jennifer Dorn and creative director Haley Kluge.”

The 2024 ASME Best Cover Contest honors magazine covers across 10 categories. The finalists and winners are chosen by leading editors, art directors and photo editors. The ASME board of directors selects the cover of the year. Covers entered in the ASME Best Cover Contest are also posted on X, where users like their favorites in each category. The most popular cover overall wins the readers’ choice award. All covers were published in 2023.

Find a full list of the ASME winners and nominees here.