Insight Publications won four national awards in the 2026 Alliance of Area Business Publishers Editorial Excellence Awards competition. Winners were announced Tuesday, May 19 at the alliance’s summer conference in Wilmington, North Carolina.
The annual competition, which is coordinated and judged by faculty in the University of Missouri School of Journalism, recognizes editorial excellence and outstanding visual presentation in regional business publications.
In the design category, Insight won a gold award for Best Magazine Cover for its December 2025 cover featuring Wisconsin Institute of Plastic Surgery founder Tina Sauerhammer. Judges commented: “The gorgeous portrait, lovely color palette, good expression and placement of type is sophisticated. Examples of this sophistication are reflected in the way the typography references the dress and the background – as well as the layering of the headline. The clipping path of the stray hairs and the translucent type are further evidence of excellent execution.”
Also in the design category, Insight received a bronze award for Best Use of Photography/Illustrations. In 2025, Insight partnered with Image Studios and A2Z The Agency for photography and creative direction.
In the online category, Insight won a bronze award for Best Podcast for episode 96 of NEW Manufacturing Insights, co-hosted by Insight Associate Editor Kate Bruns and NEWMA Executive Director Ann Franz. Judges commented: “This podcast does an excellent job of combining its guests’ professional insights with a personal touch, ensuring their humanity comes through in addition to their business acumen. The audience gets to know guests in their totality, which helps contextualize their advice and experience.”
Lastly, in the journalism category, Insight won a silver award for its June 2025 cover story on Capital Credit Union CEO Laurie Butz written by editor Amelia Compton Wolff. Judges commented: “A compelling anecdotal lead pinpoints the moment a working-class teenager dreamed of more. But becoming a successful CEO takes more than drive; the writer elicits strong quotes from the source and those around her to show the lessons in humility she learned along the way.”
AABP is an organization of nearly 60 regional business publications delivering news to more than 1.2 million professionals in the United States, Canada and Australia.
