Rules & Eligibility

The annual National Magazine Awards: B2B competition is open to Canadian print and digital magazines and to Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents who held that status at the time their work appeared in them during the 2026 calendar year.

For this competition, the NMAF’s guiding principle for magazine publishing is that the publication—whether print or digital—must:

  • Self-describe as a trade, association, alumni, or professional (B2B) magazine;
  • Have a permanent editorial staff in Canada;
  • Be published in English or French or a combination of both;
  • Be editorial in nature (that is, it must have and submit a clear editorial mandate);
  • Be the product of an editorial process.

The NMAF reserves the right for its judges to decide whether a publication qualifies as a trade, association, alumni, or professional (B2B) magazine.

All submissions must satisfy the following rules:

  1. Original work which appears in the December 2026/January 2027 issue of a bi-monthly magazine is eligible, but not that which appeared in a December 2025/January 2026 issue. A single issue dated January or Winter 2027 is NOT eligible for submission. Submissions from digital-only magazines with no print edition must be original work first published during the 2026 calendar year. For print magazines, eligibility continues to be determined by the issue date, regardless of when the issue is distributed, posted online or appears on newsstands.
  2. Sponsored content: The NMAF requires all submitters disclose sponsored content on the entry form. Sponsored content is editorial content financially supported by a commercial sponsor, but produced independently from that sponsor. Journalism grants and fellowships that maintain full editorial independence are not considered sponsored content. Sponsored content is eligible for awards, provided that the submitter affirms that no third party exerted an influence on or played a role in the editorial process (including, but not limited to research, angle selection, reporting, writing, content and image creation, editing). The NMAF entrusts its juries with the final decision as to whether sponsored content should be considered for an award.
  3. The NMAF mandates transparency regarding the use of artificial intelligence in submitted work. As such, entrants must disclose any AI assistance* in their content on the submission form.
    *”AI assistance” refers to editorial material enhanced or created using artificial intelligence technologies. This encompasses the use of AI in activities such as writing, visual generation, editing, design, and more. Entries containing AI-supported content are eligible for awards, provided that they adhere to the NMAF’s standards for originality and the specific role of AI is transparently declared upon submission. The ultimate decision on the consideration of AI-supported content for awards rests with the NMAF jury.
  4. Awards are intended for Canadian content creators (Canadian citizens or permanent residents eligible to work in Canada).
    • Category-specific eligibility:
      • Illustration: Open to Canadian illustrators. Work must be commissioned by the magazine.
      • Photography: Open to Canadian photographers. Previously published or stock photography is not eligible, except in the Editorial category of Best Cover.
      • Art Direction: Open to Canadian art directors and their staff or freelance associates.
      • Writing and Visual Categories: Open to Canadian staff or freelance contributors (including, under this year’s pilot, those published in non-Canadian outlets).
      • Editorial Categories: Open to Canadian editors, art directors, and freelance contributors.
    • Awards presented to publications or teams (i.e., categories without a cash prize) remain open only to Canadian magazines and B2B publications.
  1. Except where stated, there is no limit on the number of entries submitted per category. Finalists will be proportionate to the number of entries submitted in a category up to a maximum of ten finalists.
  2. All submissions must be accompanied by permission, not for sale or profit, to use the entries of finalists in the awards presentation, blog, website, and social media, and to include any winning entry in perpetuity on the Foundation’s website.
  3. Entries that do not conform to the rules or fit category definitions may be disqualified without notice. Entry fees for disqualified or withdrawn submissions will not be refunded.
  4. A minimum of three (3) submissions must be received in a category for a judging panel to be convened. The NMAF also reserves the right to cancel any category in which the jury decides no entry is of sufficient quality to merit an award. In the event that a category is cancelled, entry fees will be refunded to submitters.
  5. The decision of the judges will be final.