WHEATON, Ill.-The American Society of Business Publications (ASBPE) has named the top-performing magazines as the finalists for the 2011 Magazine of the Year Competition.
For 2011, the 47-year-old, 334-member Society of business-to-business (B2B) editors will present two Magazine of the Year Awards-one in the $2 million and over division and another in the under $2 million division-in the 33rd annual Azbee Awards of Excellence competition.
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The FinalistsÂ
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ASBPE named these Magazine of the Year finalists in the over $2 million division:
·        Architect
·        Automotive News
·        CFO
·        Control
·        CIO
·        IEEE Spectrum
·        Overdrive
·        Modern Healthcare
·        Security Management
·        The Scientist
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These Magazine of the Year finalists were named in the under $2 million division:
·        Business Jet Traveler
·        Connect
·        Emergency Management
·        Event Marketer
·        Exhibitor
·        Health Leaders
·        Music Inc.
·        Oregon Business
·        Residential Architect
·        Stitches
Magazine of the Year CriteriaÂ
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In the Magazine of the Year competition, judges from the professional B2B magazine-editing world evaluated three consecutive issues from each entrant, examining their writing, reporting, and editing; their usefulness to and interactivity with readers; editorial organization; and layout and design.
The finalists stood out from the competition with their strong writing, understanding of their target audience, and intriguing design, according to the judges.
 Web Site of the Year
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ASBPE also named the top 10 finalists in its Web Site of the Year competition. An elite panel of judges judged the entries based on the sites’ reporting, writing, editing and depth of information, along with the organization and navigability.
The 10 finalists for the Web Site of the Year competition are:
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·        computerworld.com
·        crn.com
·        dvm360.com
·        ecohome.com
·        enr.com
·        investmentnews.com
·        networkworld.com
·        pcworld.com
·        pmq.com
·        techrepublic.com
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The top Web sites this year aimed to not just get viewers to visit the site, but to explore the layers of the site, said WOY judging chair Tina Barbaccia. “YouTube, Twitter feeds, Facebook Page and Group links, as well as interactive databases were more fully integrated and made the sites invaluable,” she said.  Â
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Other Major Awards
 In addition to selecting the Magazine of the Year finalists, ASBPE will also name this year’s winner of the Stephen Barr Award for special excellence in feature writing.
ASBPE has also released the names of all the finalists in the print, design, and digital award categories. For example, those publications vying for the prestigious Multi-Platform award are The National Law Journal, Today’s Garden Center, andUS Banker. ASBPE also announced the finalists in the competitive Feature Article category. The 2011 finalists in this category are Aquatics International, Bloomberg Businessweek, Civil Engineering, Engineering News-Record, Multifamily Executive, and Stitches.
Further information is available at the ASBPE Web site, www.asbpe.org, where finalists in all Azbee Award categories are now listed.
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Honoring Award Winners
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 ASBPE will honor the national award recipients at the 33rd annual Azbee Awards of Excellence banquet from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Intercontinental Chicago Miracle Mile in downtown Chicago. Gold, silver, and bronze awards will be given out for 50-plus categories related to print editorial, digital editorial, print design, and overall excellence. In addition, several ASBPE chapters including Boston/New England, Chicago, Kansas City, New York, and Washington, D.C., will host award ceremonies at which regional award winners for their respective territories will be presented. To find out more about the events in your area, please visit the ASBPE Web site at www.aspbe.org.Â
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About ASBPEÂ
 ASBPE is an association of professional editors and writers who work for business-to-business magazines, newsletters, blogs, Web sites, and other digital publications. The Society helps members develop their editorial and management skills and informs them of the latest publishing and ethical trends. The Society regularly examines issues in advertising sales, circulation, marketing, production, and the business of publishing. ASBPE hosts a National Editorial Conference, where editors can learn how to deal with editorial, management, technical, and financial issues impacting their publications. ASBPE also offers the Azbee Awards of Excellence competition for print and digital, a Lifetime Achievement and Journalism That Matters Awards, and the Young Leaders Scholarship. For more info, visit www.asbpe.org.