The awards are open to English- and French-language magazines sold in Canada. Publishers are invited to submit issues from September 2012 to September 2013 with finalized sales in the following seven categories:

1. Women’s Service
2. News, Business and Celebrity
3. Home and Décor
4. Sports and Leisure
5. General Interest, Arts, Lifestyle and Regional
6. SIPs and New Magazines
7. Small Magazines—a new category in 2014 for magazines with a circulation of under 50,000 copies

Entrants will need to provide newsstand sales and sell-through for the issue being submitted, and for the same issue last year, so make sure to review the awards submission guide before you enter.

Nominations are also open for the Newsstand Marketer of the Year Award. This award recognizes a passionate and innovative individual at a Canadian publishing house, national distributor or wholesaler who has achieved results for a newsstand project in 2013. Shine a spotlight on a deserving circulation marketer today! There is no nomination fee for this award.

Don’t delay! Visit coverawards.ca to enter the awards and to nominate a Newsstand Marketer of the Year.

About the Awards
The Canadian Cover Awards/Grands prix canadiens – Meilleures couvertures are produced by the Circulation Management Association of Canada and Magazines Canada, with the support of reception sponsor Alliance for Audited Media, marketing sponsor Covers Sell and design sponsor K9 Design Co.

The January 2014 issue of Canadian Real Estate Wealth is looking all business this year.

The annual cover feature is typically the best-selling issue each and every year. This should be no exception.

Art director Alicia Chin took a no-nonsense approach to this cover, creating a solid type-oriented treatment.

The Spring 2014 issue of Fly Fusion features a “monster” lake trout.

These beasts can weigh in at up to 40 lbs.

The cover makes no mistake about who the “celebrity” is. No “fin and grin” cover here. Just a great, tight close-up of the star of the show.

The drop down box features a benefit-oriented offering powerfully. And uses the left hand “real estate” to drive home the two other main feature articles.

Fly Fusion is on a roll. Sales in 2013 are up by 6% in Canada, and in the U.S. market sales are up 12% for 2013. (Susan Keavney at CTC should take a bow!)

Look for a special promotion at Walmart.

Rule #10 is: Photos work better than illustrations. But this cover I believe is an exception to the rule.

Here’s what editor Sarah Fulford had to say about this cover:

"A map was the natural way to depict a divided Toronto. To bring the map to life, we asked Jason Logan, the illustrator (and former creative director at Rogers) for ideas. He proposed carving up the city according to cultural stereotypes, by neighbourhood. The editorial team asked if he could do that for all 44 wards according to the municipal boundaries. He came back with evocative depictions of each area, chock full with clever references, whimsical in places, poignant in others. We were smitten. The text manages to be both satirical and also affectionate—a tricky thing to pull off. Logan spent many hours reviewing and refining each word with Christine Dewairy, TL’s art director, to get things right. I love the way the cover is totally direct while also being so detailed and smart."

Landing an international superstar like Lady Gaga is sure to stimulate newsstands sales. What a great cover to lift their readers' spirits when it’s so cold outside.

We love the playful Exclusive Interview device, and the type treatment is strong. The use of the left-hand real estate is excellent, and the bright white cover and simple colour palate is effective. Let the Lady do the heavy lifting…and she will.

Here’s what editor-in-chief Bernadette Morra says about the cover:

“We are thrilled that Lady Gaga chose FASHION magazine for her Canadian cover in support of her latest album. This is FASHION’s second Gaga cover and we knew going in that she would have control over the final result. But we respect Gaga as an artist and were excited about the prospect of pushing boundaries with her. Even though the quirky eyeglasses obscure one eye and her expression isn’t a typical toothy grin, she emanates beauty, power and self-assurance – all qualities we encourage in our readers. And art director Eng Lau worked the glasses into the FASHION logo in a way that blends her daring with our brand – like two singers in perfect harmony.”