EDITOR'S COMMENT — May 2003
Hey, Skin & Ink has been named Gold Winner of the Folio Magazine Editorial Excellence Awards. This is the first time a tattoo publication has ever been honored in this way. The Folio Awards are, essentially, the Oscars of the magazine business, and we are all quite proud.
Over 600 magazines entered in various categories, and the judges named two finalists in each division. For example, Car and Driver and Road and Track were finalists in the Automotive Category. Newsweek and Time were finalists in General Interest/News. Audubon Magazine, National Geographic Traveler and Computer World were all winners. In our category, Art/Design, we were up against Harvard Design Magazine. The committee informed us by mail, and Saralynne and I flew to New York for the gala showdown.
Magazines were judged on their mission statements and how skillfully a particular issue (November 2001, in our case) fulfilled our editorial goals.
The Hilton was abuzz with magazine brass. It was pretty amazing to see the November 2001 cover flashed on the huge, 30-foot-wide video screen as 400 magazine execs looked on. And then the announcement: "The winner is…Skin & Ink." As I walked up to receive the trophy, they read the judge's comment.
"Skin & Ink treats the subjects of tattoos with an equal amount of investigation and reverence. The magazine joyfully and successfully explores the history, the enthusiasts, the technique and the uncommon beauty of tattooing. While the artistry of tattoos may not appeal to everyone, Skin & Ink does a commendable job of highlighting the many facets of unique illustration on an unusual canvas."
What a great way to kick off our seventh-year anniversary issue! Thank you, staff. Thank you, contributors. Thank you, Saralynne. And thank you, Larry Flynt for allowing us to do what we love.
Bob Baxter, Editor in Chieff