The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) was organized in 1963 as a successor to the Editorial Committee of the MPA. Best known for organizing and presenting the National Magazine Awards, ASME champions editorial independence and speaks out on public policy issues, particularly those pertaining to the First Amendment. The organization also works closely with the MPA to plan joint programs such as the American Magazine Conference, the Lifetime Achievement Awards and the Magazines 24/7 Digital Conference. ASME currently has nearly 900 members nationwide, including the editorial leaders of every major consumer magazine. ASME’s President, David Willey, Editor-in-Chief, Runner’s World, chairs a 16-member board of chief editors and works with the ASME Chief Executive, Sid Holt, who was named to the post in September 2008, to address issues of critical importance to editors and publishers alike.

In 2008, the organization launched ASME NEXT for junior-level editors with up to five years of experience. The group, geared to help the “next generation” of magazine editors succeed in the field, will have access to programs and panel discussions, social networking parties and events.

ASME’s eighth anthology, The Best American Magazine Writing 2008, is a compilation of pieces from the winners andfinalists of the year’s National Magazine Awards, edited by Marlene Kahan, Executive Director of ASME. The book includes an introduction by Jacob Weisberg, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, the Slate Group.

The group also announced the winners the 2008 Best Cover Contest at the 2008 American Magazine Conference.  Award categories include Cover of the Year, Best Celebrity Cover, Best Concept Cover, Best Fashion Cover, Best News Cover, Best Leisure Interest Cover and Best Personal Service Cover, with special recognition of the year’s best coverline. A special gallery on the ASME website not only includes the winning images, but also the “story behind the covers.”