All consumer and business magazines and websites edited and published in the United States are invited to enter the National Magazine Awards. Other creators and publishers of magazine-like content, including newspapers, newsletters, independent newsrooms, audio and video production companies and websites associated with radio and television stations and networks, are eligible to enter every category except General Excellence. Marketing and promotional magazines and websites are not eligible. No entry may be submitted without the approval of the editors of the publication in which the work appeared. The administrators of the awards reserve the right to determine if a media organization qualifies for entry.

The following conditions also apply:

1. Print content must be dated 2025. Entries consisting in whole or in part of print issues may include one issue dated December 2025/January 2026 (but not December 2024/January 2025). Print issues with comparable dates, such as Fall 2025/Winter 2026, may also be included. Entries consisting of two or more articles or examples of work may include one article or example dated January 2025 or an equivalent, such as Winter 2026.

2. Digital content must have been posted in 2025. Screenshots may be required to verify publication dates.

3. Any use of artificial intelligence in the creation of an entry must be described in the entry statement accompanying each submission.

4. No entry can duplicate an entry in another category. No article or example of work may be entered in more than one category except as part of an entry in General Excellence, Design, Photography and Single-Topic Issue or as part of an editorial package in another category.

5. Entries may include content from special-interest and newsstand-only publications.

6. Excerpts from previously published books are not eligible except as part of an entry in General Excellence, Design, Photography and Single-Topic Issue.

7. No magazine or website will be nominated more than once in any category except as the partner of another publication.

8. Only one “Ellie” will be awarded to each winner. Media organizations that fund or partner in the publication of a winner will receive certificates of recognition.

9. Entries found to be in violation of commonly accepted editorial standards, including the ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers, may be disqualified at any time.

10. The administrators of the National Magazine Awards may at their own discretion extend the deadline for entry in any category.

What You Need to Know About Multipart Entries Entries in some categories may consist of as many as three thematically linked articles. Articles published under a common rubric such as “Health” or “Money” do not qualify as thematically linked unless the articles address a specific topic, such as ways to stop smoking or saving for retirement. Entries composed of two or more articles are judged in part on their consistency. Editors may wish to enter a single strong article rather than a series of uneven quality.

How Finalists and Winners Are Chosen Five finalists, including a winner, are traditionally selected in each category by a panel of judges chosen by the administrators of the awards in consultation with the members of the ASME Board of Directors. For information about the work of the judges and the role of the National Magazine Awards Board in the selection of finalists and winners, see the “About” page at nationalmagazineawards.org. Awards may be withheld in any category in which the entries fall below the standard of excellence set by the ASME Board of Directors or in which the number of entries is deemed insufficient by the administrators of the awards.