The ATA Magazine took home a gold award and two silver awards at the annual Alberta Magazine Awards hosted by the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association (AMPA) on Sept. 26.
The gold award (first place) was for the best short written feature and went to Celeste, a teacher who wrote about her mental health struggles in the spring 2023 edition of the magazine. (Celeste’s last name was withheld from publication due to the highly sensitive nature of the subject matter.) In taking home the top prize, Celeste was chosen ahead of several established professional magazine writers.
In her acceptance speech, Celeste told the crowd of publishing industry insiders that teachers are currently struggling mightily under enormous pressures.
Celeste’s story on mental health was part of a collection of stories published in the spring 2023 issue of the ATA Magazine. That mental health feature was nominated for “best editorial package,” and earned the silver award.
The other silver award went to illustrator James Lee Chiahan, a freelancer hired by the ATA Magazine to create an illustration of system principal Kenny Yeung for the magazine’s Unsung Hero section. That illustration was published in the fall 2023 issue of the magazine.
