International Regional Magazine Association Honors Oklahoma TodayMagazine with 11 Awards
Oklahoma Todayreceived gold, silver and bronze from the International Regional Magazine Association conference in May.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Today magazine and staff received a total of 11 honors from the International Regional Magazine Association’s 2022 awards.
The awards were announced at a ceremony in Ottawa, Ontario, on May 16. IRMA includes members from around the world in the regional magazine publishing industry.
Oklahoma Today is “The Official Magazine of Oklahoma,” and is produced by a division of the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department. The bi-monthly publication has been named Magazine of the Year by IRMA eight times.
Senior editor Karlie Ybarra won three awards: gold for Profiles, silver for Writer of the Year and silver for Historic Feature along with Greg Elwell, Nathan Gunter and Megan Rossman. Lori Duckworth, staff photographer for Oklahoma Today and the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department, was the recipient of multiple awards. Duckworth won silver for Photographer of the Year and bronze for Portrait Photo for her photograph on the cover of the 2021 September/October issue of the magazine.
“As ever, I couldn’t be more proud of the Oklahoma Today team,” editor-in-chief Nathan Gunter said. “This group of people does a fantastic job every day creating a publication that showcases all the wonderful and interesting things about Oklahoma, and it’s always gratifying to see their hard work recognized.”
Gunter won gold for his column “Welcome.” One judge said, “If [editor’s notes] have to exist, I want them to have something to do with what’s in the magazine. These do so brilliantly: The lead-ins are pithy yet detailed (the one about 1989 is a masterpiece) and the story descriptions made me want to read the articles.”
In addition to earning gold, silver and bronze at the awards, Oklahoma Today was recognized as a finalist for Magazine of the Year. One IRMA judge noted, “Some notable magazine-making going on here, and it’s obvious the staff enjoys some clever wordplay and leans into creativity.”
Oklahoma Today is published six times a year — in January, March, May, July, September and November.
The magazine can be purchased at select retail locations in Oklahoma. Readers can subscribe online by visiting OklahomaToday.com/Subscribe. For more information about the magazine, visit OklahomaToday.com.
Oklahoma Today’s IRMA awards include:
– Finalist: Magazine of the Year
– Gold: Profiles“Fiery Fighter” by Karlie Ybarra
– Gold: Column“Welcome” by Nathan Gunter
– Gold: Photo Series“Land Before Time” by Kim Baker
– Silver: Writer of the YearKarlie Ybarra
– Silver: Photographer of the YearLori Duckworth
– Silver: Historic Feature“The Good, the Bad, and the Legendary” by Karlie Ybarra, Greg Elwell, Nathan Gunter, Megan Rossman
– Bronze: Single Photo“Land Before Time” by Kim Baker
– Bronze: Portrait PhotoSeptember/October 2021 cover by Lori Duckworth
– Bronze: Nature & Environment Feature“Sweet Love” by Ben Luschen
– Bronze: Travel Feature“The Bartian Chronicles” by Greg Elwell
– Bronze: Art & Culture Feature“A Place for Us” by Whitney Bryen
The image photographed by Lori Duckworth featured on the September/October 2021 cover of Oklahoma Today Magazine won bronze for portrait photo at the IRMA awards. Photo provided by Oklahoma Today.
Media Contact: Rylie Mansuetti, Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department Rylie.Mansuetti@TravelOK.com | 405-522-8539
About the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department
The Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department works to preserve, maintain and promote the state’s natural assets and cultural richness through tourism. The Department’s Travel Promotions division administers programs designed to build awareness of the state as a destination and educates on the economic importance of the Oklahoma travel and tourism industry. The staff also oversees the agency’s marketing and promotions efforts along with operating Tourism Information Centers located at major entry points around the state. To learn more about the Department, visit TravelOK.com.
