The Los Angeles Business Journal won a top award for general excellence from the main professional organization for business journalists, then the publication went on to win a higher award, called “Best of the Best.” It is the most significant journalism honor the Business Journal has won.
The awards were presented March 20 in Phoenix at the annual conference of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, whose members primarily are editors of newspaper business sections, business magazines and other business news publications and wire services.
In the business weekly competition, the Business Journal won a “Best in Business” award for general excellence. As such, the publication didn’t win for any particular story or feature but for overall quality.
The judges wrote: “This was the best weekly from front page to back page, an impressive feat for an independent paper that doesn’t have outside resources.”
The only other publications in Southern California to win Sabew awards were the San Diego Union-Tribune, which won in the column category, and the Orange County Register, which won in the blog category.
Some of the “Best in Business” award winners were nominated to compete for the higher award. The Business Journal was one of four publications that had won in the general excellence category to win a “Best of the Best” award. The others were Fast Company magazine, the Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Markets magazine.
The Business Journal has won Best in Business awards several times in the past but never a Best of the Best award.
“With the first award, we can say we are the best business journal in the country,” said Charles Crumpley, editor of the L.A. newspaper. “With the second award, we can say we are among the best business publications of any kind.”
In all, there were 163 awards out of 796 entries. The New York Times got the most awards with 13.
The Business Journal in the summer won the top award, a Gold Medal for overall excellence, from the Alliance of Area Business Publications. That organization is smaller than Sabew; it represents mainly weekly business journals and monthly magazines.
