The Leadership Awards celebrate iconic individuals for their vision, accomplishments, and contributions to the industry. These honorees are role models, mentors, risk-takers, and agents of change.
There is no cost to submit a nomination for the Leadership Awards.The submission process is the same as the Neal Awards:
Step 1. Create an account in the Neal Awards Entry Portal
Step 2. “Add New Entry”
Step 3. Choose “E – Leadership Awards” from the Revenue Categories drop down on the first page of the entry form
Step 4. Complete your entry!
Deadline for all Leadership Awards is April 2, 2021.
Please note: There is no submission process for the McAllister Editorial Fellowship. The winner is chosen among all the 2021 Neal Award finalists
The G.D. Crain, Jr. Award is given annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the development of editorial excellence in business media. The award was established by a grant from the G.D. Crain, Jr., Foundation and includes a distinctive distinctive trophy and a check for $1,000. By its name, the award honors the founder of Advertising Age.
Entry Requirements
- Biographical career outline (1,000 word limit)
- At least one complete copy of a magazine produced under the editorial direction of the candidate (digital version).
- Maximum of 3 examples of editorials, articles or other features written by or produced under the direction of the candidate (PDFs)
About the Award
The G.D. Crain, Jr. Award for a Distinguished Editorial Career is given annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the development of editorial excellence in business media. The award was established by a grant from the G.D. Crain, Jr. Foundation and includes both a distinctive trophy and a check for $1,000. By its name, the award honors a great business publication editor, the founder of Business Marketing (which was later named BtoB) and Advertising Age.
A native of Kentucky and an MBA graduate of that state’s Centre College, Gustavus Dedman (G.D.) Crain, Jr. spent his life enveloped in the news business. As a young boy he sold newspapers and, at age 19, joined the staff of the Louisville (KY) Herald newspaper. Two years later, he was made city editor and then sports editor.
Subsequently, he organized a business news service, which produced news and features for nearly 100 business publications. Crain served as head of the firm from its inception until 1916, when he founded Hospital Management, a trade publication serving hospital administrators. One month later, he followed up with what became BtoB, a specialized paper for business media marketers.
Later in 1916, Crain moved his publishing headquarters to Chicago, where he began Advertising Age in 1930. His idea for fast, effective news coverage in the general advertising and marketing field succeeded in lasting out the Depression, and Advertising Age moved steadily onward until it became one of the world’s premier business papers. For some 35 years, Crain wrote a column for Advertising Age titled “Rough Proofs” under the name of Copy Cub.
In 1967, he started his second non-marketing publication, Business Insurance, which was targeted at corporate purchasers of insurance. Automotive News was acquired in 1971, and Pensions & Investments originated in 1973. In later years, Crain’s other publications included American Laundry Digest, American Drycleaner, American Coin Op and American Clean Car (no longer in publication). At various times, he served as president, editor and publisher of the company from its inception until 1964 when he became chairman of the board, a post he held for his remaining years until 1973.
Past Winners
2020
Joseph J. Innace
S&P Global Platts
2019
S. Claire Conroy
SOLA Group, Inc.
2018
Janice L. Tuchman
BNP Media
2017
Stephen D. Bruce, Ph.D.
HRDecisionsMagazine.com
2016
Hank Grezlak
ALM Northeast Publications
2015
Dan Tanz
Platts
2014
Robert Cassidy
Building Design+Construction
2013
Arnie Weissmann
Northstar Travel Media
2012
Aric Press
ALM
2011
Wyatt Kash
AOL Government, AOL Industry
2010
Bob Tippee
PennWell Corporation
2009
Robert Ivy
McGraw-Hill Construction Media
2008
Boyce Thompson
Hanley Wood
2007
Deborah L. Whistler
Newport Communications Group
2006
Joe Hanson
Professional Media Group
2005
Lew McCreary
CXO Media
2004
Vernon E. Henry
Advanstar Communications
2003
Stephen G. Michaelides
Penton Media
2002
Lewis A. Miller
Dowden Health Media
2001
James D. Winsor
Heavy Duty Trucking
2000
Herman L. Masin
Scholastic Coach & Athletic Director
1999
Alan Fredericks
Cahners Travel Group
1998
Bob Haavind
Computer Design
1997
Marianne Dekker Mattera
RN
1996
David C. Smith Ward’s Auto World
1995
Robert J. Dowling
The Hollywood Reporter
1994
Ronald Khol
Machine Design & American Machinist
1993
Karen Schaffner
Shore-Varrone
1992
Perry Pascarella
Penton Publishing
1991
Stanley J. Modic
Tooling & Production
1990
Doug Condra
Heavy Duty Trucking
1989
Robert U. Brown
Editor & Publisher
1988
D.P. Eigo
Fleet Owner
1987
Edward J. Kompass
Control Engineering
1986
Miles J. Rowan
Modern Materials Handling
1985
George Holmes
Jewelers’ Circular-Keystone
1984
Sam Marshall
Solid State Technology
1983
Sol Taishoff
Broadcasting
1982
Calvin S. Cronan
Chemical Engineering
1981
Harry R. Karp
Data Communications
1980
Joseph C. Scheleen
Traffic World
1979
Robert B. Hotz
Aviation Week & Space Technology
1978
George Weber
The Oil & Gas Journal
1977
Eugene C. Beaudet
Iron Age
1976
Anderson Ashburn
American Machinist
1975
Louis N. Rowley, Jr.
Power and Electrical World
1974
Robert W. Mueller
Progressive Grocer
1973
Walter J. Campbell
Industry Week
1972
John W. Parshall
Building Supply News
1971
Albert W. Wilson
Pulp & Paper
1970
Dr. Sidney D. Kirkpatrick
Chemical Engineering
1969
Frank G. Steinebach
Foundry
The Timothy White Award recognizes exemplary leadership in the face of challenges and pressures that editors face daily. It is given to an editor whose work displays extraordinary courage, integrity, and passion. This award is named after the longtime editor of Billboard who served as the moral compass of the music industry by tackling controversial issues before he passed away in 2002.
Entry requirements
- Essay that details the editor’s activities over the past two years, showcasing their exemplary editorial integrity. (1,000 word limit)
- One example of the outstanding work created. (PDF)
- A copy of the editor’s publication (digital version)
About the Award
The Timothy White Award was established to acknowledge the daily challenges and pressures that editors face. Named after the longtime editor of Billboard magazine, who passed away in June 2002, the award is given to an editor whose work displays courage, integrity and passion.
Recipients of the Timothy White Award serve as the conscience of their publication and fearlessly support important industry causes. They stand up to outside pressures – whether from advertisers, industry executives or upper management – that threaten to interfere with the goal of placing readers first and maintaining independent, honest and ethical journalism.
Adamant that Billboard cover not only the most acclaimed or famous artists, White regularly wrote about unsung performers in his column, “Music to My Ears,” and was an outspoken advocate of artists’ rights. He often served as the music industry’s moral compass by tackling controversial issues.
He started his career as a copyboy and sports and entertainment writer for the Associated Press in 1972, after graduating from Fordham University. He was managing editor and then senior editor of seminal music magazine Crawdaddy from 1976 to 1978. He served as associate editor and later senior editor at Rolling Stone from 1978 to 1982, where he interviewed such legends as Johnny Carson and Mike Wallace.
White authored several books, including Catch a Fire, an award-winning biography of Bob Marley, and acclaimed biographies on the Beach Boys (The Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the Southern California Experience) and James Taylor (Long Ago and Far Away: James Taylor, His Life and Music), as well as a collection of Billboard essays titled “Music to My Ears.” He was awarded four prestigious ASCAP-Deems Taylor Awards for his book Rock Lives: Profiles & Interviews, for his “Music to My Ears” columns, for his 1993 Century Award Portrait of the Artist profile of George Harrison and for his editing of Billboard’s series on work for hire and musical copyrights.
He was also host and co-producer of “Timothy White’s Rock Stars/The Timothy White Sessions,” an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio series.
Past Winners
2020
Ann Marsh Arizent
Arizent
2019
Subadhra Sriram
Crain Communications, Inc.
2017
Rob Blackwell
SourceMedia
2016
Bill Sweetman
Aviation Week & Space Technology, AW’s Defense Technology International
2015
Richard Korman
ENR
2014
Michael Fabey
Aviation Week
2013
Julie Triedman
The American Lawyer
2012
Tom Shoop
Vice President/Editor
Government Executive Media Group/Atlantic Media Company
2011
Gary Thill
Aquatics International
2010
Rick Bush
Transmission & Distribution World
2009
James E. Prevor
Phoenix Media Network
2008
Harry McCracken
PC World
2007
Don Tennant
Computerworld
2005
Whitney Sielaff
National Jeweler
2004
Maryfran Johnson
Computerworld
The SIIA Marianne Dekker Mattera Mentor Award has been established in honor of the long-time Chief Editor of RN Magazine and Medical Economics and Managing Editor of MedPage Today. In the course of her more than 40-year career in business media, Marianne won 18 Jesse H. Neal Awards, more than any other individual editor in B2B media. In 1997, she received SIIA’s G. D. Crain Jr. Award for lifetime achievement in B2B journalism.
Below are the requirements to submit a nomination for The Marianne Dekker Mattera Mentor Award. It is strongly suggested you prepare the necessary documentation before beginning your nomination.
- Statement of Support: A written statement describing the Nominee’s role as a mentor to one or more “protégés” in the field of B2B media. Provide specific examples of mentorship and, where possible, cite positive results. Where possible, provide data – for example, the number of mentees the Nominee has guided; the number of times or the time period over which the Nominee helped or mentored an individual mentee; or the various ways in which the Nominee mentored one or more mentees (“She helped Jane move up to Associate Content Editor, but she motivated me to risk taking a big change in my role”).
The entry can apply to the Nominee’s mentorship of a single person or multiple persons. The Statement should be of sufficient length to make the case for the Nominee without “padding” the story. Suggested length: 2-4 pages of text, depending on the complexity of the information provided. [required] - Statement from Nominee: A written statement (1-page) from the nominee on what mentoring means to them. [required]
- Letter/s of Support: Brief letters (1 to 1-1/2 pages) or equivalent emails from “protégés,” citing, as much as possible, specific examples or cases where the nominee provided valuable mentoring that led to a positive result, such as improved professional skills (“My writing was so much better”), career advice (“She helped me understand the career ladder at our company”), or personal advice (“He supported me at a difficult time in my mother’s illness”). Be as specific as possible, without violating privacy concerns, and where possible, cite specific results (“Thanks to his help, my project won an award”). In cases where more than one Letter is included, it can be helpful if the individual letter writers cite different examples of the nominee’s mentorship abilities, to give the judges a wider perspective on the nominee’s capabilities. This could also be a combined document of testimonials from colleagues. [optional]
- Brief resume of the Nominee: 1-2 pages, to give the judges a perspective on the Nominee’s professional background. [required]
- Supporting Documents: Any documents – blogs, company news, press releases – that support the claims made in the Statement of Support or the Letter/s of Support. Not required, but if they add validity, include them, but don’t “pad” the entry with irrelevant material. [optional]
About the Award
The Marianne Dekker Mattera Mentor Award has been established in honor of the long-time chief editor of RN Magazine and Medical Economics and managing editor of MedPage Today. In the course of her more than 40-year career in business media, Decker won 18 Neal Awards, more than any other individual editor in B2B media. In 1997, she received SIIA’s G. D. Crain Jr. Award for lifetime achievement in B2B journalism.
Beyond her personal achievements, Dekker, a former teacher, was a dedicated mentor to dozens of young or less experienced colleagues whose technical skills she helped sharpen and whose careers in B2B media she helped advance. It is for her lifelong devotion to educating, developing, and mentoring others that this award has been instituted in Marianne Dekker Mattera’s name.
Past Winners
2020
Max Heine
Randall-Reilly
2019
Kathleen Tulley
Haymarket Media
2018
Margot Douaihy
NewBay Media, LLC
2017
Tara Welty
Scholastic Teacher and Teacher Resources
About the Fellowship
Donald McAllister, Sr. was American Business Media’s chairman in 1955. He was an active figure in specialized business media for over 70 years until his death in 1993, at the age of 91. He was chairman of the executive committee at Geyer-McAllister, one of the country’s oldest family-owned publishing firms until its magazines’ sale to Reed Business Information in 1998.
McAllister’s background in editorial began at Cornell University, where, as an English major, he edited The Cornell Window, one of the Ivy League’s leading literary humor magazines. While at Cornell, he wrote an article about a local gift shop for a new magazine, The Gift and Art Shop, published by a company owned by his uncle, Andrew Geyer. His first job at the company was as assistant editor for that magazine, which today is Gifts & Decorative Accessories.
In 1983, McAllister endowed an essay contest at Cornell’s Johnson School of Business to stimulate excellence in writing. In 1992, in honor of his 70th reunion at Cornell, he created a fund to stimulate business marketing activities at the Johnson School. McAllister later extended his academic affiliations to become a member of the Specialized Business Press Advisory Board at New York University’s Gallatin Division.
Past Recipients
2020
Eliza Strickland
IEEE Spectrum
2019
John Heltman
SourceMedia
2018
Lara Seligman
Informa Plc
2017
Todd Dills
Randall-Reilly
2016
Kip McDaniel
Asset International
2015
Glenn Coleman
Crain’s New York Business
2014
Chandra Ram
Plate
2013
Matthew Weinstock
Hospitals & Health Networks
2012
Marnette Falley
dvm360.com
2011
Jane Kolleeny
GreenSource
2010
Bill McDowell
Marketing & Technology Group
2009
Tudor Van Hampton
Engineering News-Record
2008
Daniel R. Verdon
DVM Newsmagazine
2007
Glenn Zorpette
IEEE Spectrum
2006
Scott Donaton
Advertising Age
2005
Scott Berinato
CIO
2004
Aric Press
The American Lawyer
2003
Greg Mitchell
Editor & Publisher
2002
Ellen Koteff
Nation’s Restaurant News
2001
Wendy Bonifazi
Contemporary Long Term Care
2000
David Walker
Photo District News
1999
Karen Lynch
tele.com
1998
Marianne Dekker Mattera
RN
1997
Allan Halcrow
Workforce
1996
Charles Butler
Sales & Marketing Management
1995
Cathryn Baskin
PC World
