Sport magazine has snatched victory in the inaugural Front Cover of the Year category at the PPA Awards 2012 for its cover featuring former England football legend Paul Gascoigne.
The highly-coveted award was presented to the magazine, published by UTV Media, at a suitably glittering ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Mayfair on June 20.
The simple, stripped-back Sport cover, which captures a haunted-looking ‘Gazza’, secured top spot in a closely fought online poll in which tens of thousands of public votes were cast.Second place was taken by ShortList Media’s Stylist magazine for its striking image of Nigella Lawson covered in salted caramel, while third place went to IPC Media’s Wallpaper* for its cover featuring German electronica pioneers Kraftwerk.
Front Cover of the Year was one of 22 awards handed out by comedian and host Miles Jupp at the annual PPA event, which brings together the leading talent in the UK’s publishing sector to celebrate the very best in consumer and business media.
Awards winners were decided after two rigorous rounds of judging by an independent panel of 88 industry experts.
Barry McIlheney, CEO of the PPA, said: “Every year the PPA Awards set the bar as the showcase for excellence in UK publishing, and this year’s event has been no exception.
“Front Cover of the Year has been a fantastic addition to the awards, demonstrating just how powerfully a well-crafted magazine cover can resonate with readers.
“At the same time, the award-winning innovations on show in the digital categories underline that magazine brands, and the professional content they produce, have a very exciting future across a whole variety of platforms.”
Front Cover of the Year was one of two new categories for the 2012 PPA Awards, alongside the PPA Diversity Award, which was won by Essentials magazine for its ongoing commitment to promoting diversity through both editorial and imagery.
Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone said: “I am thrilled to present this very special award to Essentials magazine. By using real women on their covers instead of models and celebrities, they are an excellent example of a magazine promoting diversity of body image - a real issue that cannot be ignored."
For the full rundown of winners with photos from the night, click here.