SEATTLE, March 29, 2023 – Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future is proud to announce that it has won the 2023 National Magazine Award in the category of General Excellence, Literature, Science and Politics. The 58th annual awards honor media organizations, including magazines, websites, and audio and video production companies for editorial excellence in categories ranging from Reporting and Feature Writing to Podcasting and Video.  The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) announced the winners of the National Magazine Awards on the evening of Tuesday, March 28, at Terminal 5, on West 56th Street in Manhattan. 

“Last year, I believe Grist put out the most consistently outstanding content in its more than 20-year history — and it’s heartening to see our peers agree, while also acknowledging how important coverage of climate change is at this critical moment for humanity,” said Nikhil Swaminathan,  CEO of Grist. “Words cannot capture how highly I regard the team we have assembled over the past few years, and this award is a reflection of their dedication to their craft, their publication, and their planet. We could not be more delighted to win this particular Ellie, a true team award.”  

Twenty publications were nominated for the most prestigious honors, the four General Excellence categories, which are grouped by circulation, audience, and style of publication. Grist, which was nominated last year in the same category, joined six other repeat finalists in General Excellence categories this year: New York (eighth consecutive year), Audubon (fifth consecutive year), The New York Times Magazine and Stranger’s Guide (fourth consecutive year), The Atlantic (third consecutive year), and Harper’s Bazaar (second consecutive year).

Grist included multiple stories as part of the submission for General Excellence. These stories included 

  • Ghosts of Polluters Past, a multipart investigative series examining the legacy of lead contamination in American cities — and the solutions being tested that might clean it up. The series also recently won a Sigma award
  • Road to Ruin, a nearly year-long investigation of clearcutting in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest and the Roadless Rule that was co-published with coastalaska, Earthrise Media, and The Pulitzer Center. This story won the Online Journalism Awards in the category of Feature, Small Newsroom.
  • Heatflation: How sizzling temperatures drive up food prices, which explores the connection between heat waves and inflation, and in which writer Kate Yoder coined the new term “heatflation.”

“For a long time, climate change was seen strictly as a science story. But at Grist, we’ve spent years trying to break that narrative,” said Katherine Bagley, executive editor of Grist. “Our reporting has worked to convey that climate and environmental stories are economic stories, culture stories, justice, politics, health, business, and yes, even solutions stories. I am immensely proud of the Grist team, today and everyday.”

More information on the winners can be found here. 

About ASME

The American Society of Magazine Editors is the principal organization for the editorial leaders of magazines and websites published in the United States. Founded in 1963, ASME strives to safeguard the First Amendment, support the development of journalism and defend the editorial integrity of print and digital publications. ASME sponsors the National Magazine Awards in association with the Columbia Journalism School, conducts training programs for reporters and editors and publishes the ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers.

About Grist

Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Using the power of storytelling to illuminate the way toward a better world, Grist inspires millions of people to show that the time for action around climate change is now. Since 1999, Grist has  used the power of journalism to engage the public about the perils of the most existential threat we face.  Fix — our Solutions Lab — builds on Grist’s journalism by connecting and elevating the people who make change happen through storytelling and events.