Any magazine edited, published, and distributed in the U.S., and issued at least quarterly, is eligible to submit entries for an award. In-house company publications, newsletters, and foreign-language publications are not eligible.

To be eligible, a print magazine must have been published at least four times during the year and still be in existence by year-end. The exception is General Excellence: A new mgazine must have been published throughout 2007. An Internet site must have been in existence throughout the calendar year.

Internet magazines need not have a print edition, but they must have original content and a distinct editorial voice. A site's primary function should be to inform or entertain rather than to sell products or promote a business. Internet magazines may enter General Excellence Online, Personal Service Online and Interactive Feature.

Individual articles that are published online only are eligible in the following categories: Reporting, Public Interest, Feature Writing, Profile Writing, Essays, Columns and Commentary, Reviews and Criticism, and Fiction.

Entries must be originally conceived and published as magazine pieces, but may be subsequently published or presented in a medium other than a magazine. However, excerpts from books that have already been published or are about to be published are not eligible.

Special sections, anniversary or special issues are eligible only if they have complete distribution to the magazine's full and customary list of subscribers and newsstand outlets.

ONLINE MAGAZINE ELIGIBILITY

To qualify for any of the ASME online awards, a magazine website or online-only magazine must be editorial in nature, that is, a site whose primary function is to inform or entertain rather than to sell products or promote a business. It must include a significant amount of original content and have at least one editor (producer) who makes key creative decisions about the content, tone and point of view of the site. It cannot be a personal blog, although such blogs may be elements on the site. Editors of online magazines must be members of ASME to submit their sites, or components of thier sites, for the National Magazine Awards. ASME reserves the right to decide whether an online entity qualifies as a magazine.

Important Note: Magazines that contain significant violations of ASME’s Guidelines for Editors and Publishers may be considered ineligible for an award. Similarly, Internet sites must follow ASME’s Best Practices for Digital Media in order to be considered for an award.