ScienceWriters | Winter 2005
AUSTRALIA’S GLOSSY NEW popular-science magazine, COSMOS, less than six months after making its debut, has taken home an armload of industry honours Down Under. This includes NASW and member Wilson da Silva being named Editor of the Year for what judges described as the debut of a “stylish, ambitious, and erudite publication, realised through the vision of an editor.”
The Bell Magazine Awards, given annually by the magazine industry association, Australian Business and Specialist Publishers, were presented on Nov. 25, 2005 at a ceremony in Sydney’s Four Seasons Hotel.
“It is an honour to be recognised by your peers, and to have the excellence that we seek to bring to COSMOS lauded and supported by the industry,” said da Silva.
“Readers today are savvy, intelligent, and global in their outlook. We’re not just competing with titles in Australia and New Zealand; we have to be competitive in editorial terms with the best publications coming out of New York or London,” added da Silva, who is currently president of the World Federation of Science Journalists.
Billed as a monthly magazine of “ideas, science, society, and the future,” COSMOS (www.cosmosmagazine.com) was launched in July 2005 and has already attracted a loyal following. Among its many fans is Australia’s Minister for Education Science and Training, Dr. Brendan Nelson, who has arranged for all science teachers in the country to receive a copy of the October 2005 edition.
COSMOS is supported by an advisory board that includes Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, renown palaeontologist Mike Archer, noted medical researcher Judith Whitworth, and veteran science broadcaster Robyn Williams.
COSMOS won Best Consumer Magazine Cover for its September 2005 issue (pictured), which judges commended for its “good design and cover lines, strong masthead and excellent use of colour and illustration.” Recognised were Rodney Lochner (art director, COSMOS), Frank Lindner (cover photography), and Wilson da Silva (cover concept and cover lines).
Kylie Ahern, the publisher of COSMOS, was also recognised with a Highly Commended citation for Best Consumer Magazine Launch; while Sara Phillips, the deputy editor of COSMOS, was a finalist for the Best Single Article category.