Acadiana Profile Magazine Wins 2023 International Awards

by | May 16, 2023 | Members

On May 8, Acadiana Profile Magazine won 10 awards, at the 43rd annual International Regional Magazine Association (IRMA) awards presentation in Portland, Oregon. Acadiana Profile was a finalist for Magazine of the Year. 

IRMA members include state, province and regional publications from across the United States, Bermuda, and Canada. The awards were granted for work published in 2022 and judged by an independent panel of industry experts. Executive Editor Errol Laborde accepted the awards on behalf of the magazine during the annual event.

“We are honored to receive these awards from the International and Regional Magazine Association for Acadiana Profile,” says Melanie Warner Spencer, the editor of Acadiana Profile. “We’re grateful be acknowledged by our peers in the industry. The competition at the IRMA awards is fierce and we are fortunate to have so many talented colleagues to compete with year after year. Covering Acadiana and the rich history and culture of its people provides an endless wealth of material and we’re honored to tell and be recognized for those stories.”

The magazine also took home silver the design category for Overall Art Direction by longtime art director Sarah George, as well as silver for its Art and Culture Feature “Music Makers,” covering the rich traditions of making music and instruments in Acadiana. 

Acadiana Profile, which places the food of the region at the heart of much of its coverage, earned bronze for its “Best of Dining” story in the Food Feature category and an Award of Merit in the Food Feature category.

Below is a complete list of awards. 

About Renaissance Publishing

Based in New Orleans, Renaissance Publishing publishes eight in-house publications, including Acadiana Profile, Louisiana Life, New Orleans Magazine, Biz New Orleans, New Orleans Bride, New Orleans Homes and St. Charles Avenue, as well as multiple custom publishing for various businesses and entities around the Greater New Orleans area.

About IRMA

IRMA is a non-profit association composed of 25 regional magazines from across North America. Since its founding in 1960, IRMA has provided an unparalleled environment for open communication, support and trust among member magazines. Regional magazines are defined as having general interest, lifestyle, or tourism editorial content about a specific region. Our members are: Acadiana Profile; Adirondack Life; albemarle Magazine; Arizona Highways; Arizona Wildlife Views; Avenue Calgary; Big River Magazine; Bucks County Magazine; Cottage Life; Delaware Beach Life; Discover Concord; Down East: the Magazine of Maine; Downhome; KANSAS! Magazine; Louisiana Life; Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors; Mountain Home; New Mexico Magazine; Oklahoma Today; Saltscapes; Texas Highways; Texas Parks& Wildlife Magazine; The Bermudian; Wyoming Wildlife; and Yukon, North of Ordinary. See more at http://www.irmamagazines.com

About the IRMA Awards

To evaluate the achievements of member magazines, IRMA annually selects a panel of industry experts from outside IRMA who choose winners from the pool of submitted entries. The various award categories include editorial, design, and photography. Example categories include Reader Service Article, Photo Series, Art Direction of a Single Story and Magazine of the Year. Winners were announced at the annual conference on May 16th at the beautiful Andaz Hotel in Ottawa, Canada. 

Complete List of Acadiana Profile Awards/Magazines with 34,999 or less circulation

Finalist Magazine of the Year – Melanie Spencer and Sarah George

Silver Overall Art Direction – Sarah George

Silver Art and Culture Feature – Music Makers, Kevin Rabalais

Bronze Art Direction of a Single Story – Best of Dining, Sarah George

Bronze Reader Service – Cheap Eats, Eric Cormier

Bronze Home and Garden – Communal Tables, Marie Elizabeth Oliver, Haylei Smith, Melanie Spencer, Sarah George

Bronze Photo Series – Music Makers, Kevin Rabalais

Bronze Cover – Light Recipes, Eugenia Uhl, Sarah George and Melanie Spencer

Merit Food Feature – Cheap Eats, Eric Cormier, Joseph Vidrine, S. E. George, Sarah George, Melanie Spencer

Merit Special Focus – The Food Issue, Melanie Spencer and Sarah George