New York, NY (August 3, 2005)The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is hosting a competition to identify and rank in order the 40 greatest American magazine covers of the last 40 years, it was announced today by Marlene Kahan, Executive Director, ASME. The contest, also called Magazine 40/40, was created in celebration of the 40th anniversary of ASMEs National Magazine Awards. The covers chosen for Magazine 40/40 will be announced at the 2005 American Magazine Conference, which takes place in Puerto Rico October 16-19.

The goal of Magazine 40/40 is to honor the most memorable, influential, compelling and iconic American magazine covers, from January 1965 to the present, said Ms. Kahan. The covers on this distinguished list will be those that reflect the essence of the magazines, the times in which they were published, and their impact on American culture.

The contest is open to all consumer magazines published in the U.S. Beginning this week, magazine executives will be invited to submit up to four entries from their respective publications. Entrants are also encouraged to nominate covers of magazines that are not published by their company, or are no longer in existence. A judging panel of more than 50 magazine editors, design directors, art directors and photo editors will determine the definitive list of the 40 greatest magazine covers of the last 40 years.

For complete details, see the Call for Entries and Entry Form.

If you have questions about the Magazine 40/40, please contact Elizabeth Satenstein (esatenstein@magazine.org).