(ASME) American Society of Magazine Editors

What (ASME) American Society of Magazine Editors does

The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is a New York-headquartered nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1963 that serves as the principal trade body for editorial leaders of U.S. print magazines and editorial websites. ASME's core offerings are organized around four pillars: (i) the National Magazine Awards (the "Ellies"), co-sponsored with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and presented at the annual ASME Editorial Conference; (ii) additional award programs including the ASME Award for Fiction, ASME Awards for Design/Photography/Illustration, ASME Readers' Choice Awards, the ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30, and the Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame; (iii) the ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers (first published 1982), an industry-standard ethical framework; and (iv) training, workshops, mentorship (ASME NEXT Senior Mentor Program), a job board, and advocacy around First Amendment and editorial integrity issues. ASME NEXT operates as a sub-brand with its own board, targeting early-career print and digital journalists with seven or fewer years of experience.

ASME does not operate a technology product in the conventional sense; its infrastructure consists of a website (asme.media), a memberclicks.net membership and transaction platform, and a job board. Revenue is generated through tiered annual membership dues (Chief Editor $795, Senior Editor $395, Associate $95, Retired $45, ASME NEXT $95/year or $9/month), event and conference tickets ($299-$699), award entry fees, the ASME NEXT Digital Workshop (per-session and per-day pricing), and a $195 fee for nonmember job-board postings. Distribution is domestic only and direct, with membership subject to Board of Directors approval, supplemented by organic social (LinkedIn, Instagram), an email newsletter, and in-person events including the annual ASME Editorial Conference and ASME NEXT workshops and parties.

Name

(ASME) American Society of Magazine Editors

Legal name

American Society of Magazine Editors

Website

https://asme.media

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ASME is a 1963-founded nonprofit professional membership organization for U.S. magazine and editorial-website editors, offering the National Magazine Awards, training, guidelines, and early-career programs through ASME NEXT.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

West New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues collected from chief editors ($795), senior editors ($395), associate members ($95), retired editors ($45), and ASME NEXT members ($95/year or $9/month)
2. Event Revenue: Revenue from ASME Editorial Conference tickets ($299-$699), National Magazine Awards presentations, and ASME NEXT events including parties and workshops
3. Award Entry Fees: Entry fees for National Magazine Awards and ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration; ASME-member discounts available on entry fees
4. Job Board: Free job listings for ASME members; nonmembers pay $195 to list jobs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ASME is a nonprofit professional membership organization that serves U.S. magazine and editorial website editors. Its core offerings include tiered individual memberships, the National Magazine Awards (presented in association with Columbia Journalism School), multiple specialized awards programs (ASME Award for Fiction, ASME Awards for Design/Photography/Illustration, Readers' Choice Awards, ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30), the ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers, training workshops, and an industry job board.

Product overview

ASME (American Society of Magazine Editors) is a professional organization for editorial leaders of magazines and websites published in the United States, founded in 1963. Rather than a technology product company, ASME operates as an industry association offering a portfolio of awards programs, professional development services, and editorial resources. The core offerings include the National Magazine Awards (the most prestigious magazine awards in the US, presented in association with Columbia Journalism School), ASME NEXT for early-career journalists, the ASME Awards for Design/Photography/Illustration, the ASME Award for Fiction, Readers' Choice Awards, ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30, the ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers, and an industry Job Board. ASME also conducts training programs and workshops for journalism professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ASME NEXT: The leading organization for early-career print and digital journalists with no more than seven years of industry experience.
• National Magazine Awards
• ASME Award for Fiction
• ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration
• ASME Readers' Choice Awards
• ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30

Products and services

• National Magazine Awards The most prestigious awards program for U.S. magazines and editorial websites, presented annually at the ASME Editorial Conference in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Recognizes excellence across multiple journalism and design categories.
• ASME NEXT Membership and Program Membership program for early-career print and digital journalists (up to seven years experience) providing networking events, educational workshops, mentorship matching via the Senior Mentor Program, the ASME NEXT Talks series, and access to the ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30.
• ASME Editorial Conference Annual in-person conference for magazine and editorial website editors, featuring panel discussions, breakout sessions, and networking, at which the National Magazine Awards are presented.
• ASME Awards for Design, Photography and Illustration Awards program honoring U.S. magazines and websites for individual examples of visual excellence in design, photography, and illustration, judged and presented in conjunction with the National Magazine Awards.
• ASME Award for Fiction Award program honoring magazines and websites for overall excellence in the publication of fiction, as demonstrated by three examples of short fiction; judged and presented in conjunction with the National Magazine Awards.
• ASME Readers' Choice Awards Award program recognizing the best magazine covers of the preceding year, as chosen by media consumers voting via ASME's Instagram account; ten awardees are selected annually.
• ASME NEXT Awards for Journalists Under 30 Award program honoring outstanding achievement by early-career magazine and web journalists (under 30), judged and presented in conjunction with the National Magazine Awards.
• ASME Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame An honor recognizing outstanding magazine editors for their contributions to the field of journalism.
• ASME Creative Excellence Award An ASME award recognizing creative excellence in magazine journalism.
• Best Cover Contest A contest recognizing excellence in magazine cover design and photography.
• ASME Training Programs and Workshops Educational workshops and training programs for reporters and editors, including ASME NEXT Digital Workshops, the Art of Editing series, and other professional development events.
• ASME Job Board An industry job posting platform where ASME members can list positions free of charge and non-members pay $195 per posting, serving the U.S. magazine and digital journalism industry.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Columbia University Graduate School of JournalismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASME sponsors the National Magazine Awards in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. This partnership makes the National Magazine Awards the most prestigious awards for magazines and editorial websites in the United States. The awards ceremony is presented at the ASME Editorial Conference.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Association of Magazine Media (formerly MPA): Trade association for U.S. magazine media companies. Highly comparable to ASME in serving the magazine industry, but represents publishers and business-side interests while ASME represents editorial leaders; awards and events overlap conceptually.
• Online News Association: Professional association for digital journalism, offering membership, an annual conference (ONA), and the Online Journalism Awards. Comparable to ASME as a peer membership body for editorial leaders, with overlapping digital-editor audience but a focus on news rather than magazines.
• Digital Content Next: Trade association for digital content companies, offering membership, events, and advocacy. Comparable in serving digital editorial leaders and publishers, overlapping with ASME's website-editor segment.
• Investigative Reporters and Editors: Journalist professional association offering training, conferences, awards (IRE Awards) and membership. Comparable in operating model and member services, with focus on investigative journalism rather than magazines.
• Society of Professional Journalists: U.S.-based professional journalism association offering membership, training, awards (Sigma Delta Chi) and ethics guidelines. Directly comparable to ASME in operating model, member-tier dues structure, and industry advocacy role, though SPJ serves journalists broadly rather than magazine editors specifically.

Emerging players

• Poynter Institute: Journalism training and education nonprofit offering workshops, seminars, and credentialing programs. Comparable in delivering journalism professional development and editorial training, and an emerging alternative training channel to ASME's workshop offerings.
• Native Advertising Institute: Training and conference organization for brands and publishers on native advertising and sponsored content. Comparable as an event/training platform adjacent to magazine editorial integrity, a topic ASME addresses via its guidelines.

Broad incumbents

• News/Media Alliance: Trade organization representing news and magazine publishers, with advocacy focus. Comparable as a peer membership organization for media companies, broader than ASME since it covers newspapers and digital publishers.
• National Association of Broadcasters: Large trade association for U.S. broadcasters offering advocacy, conferences (NAB Show) and awards. Comparable in operating model as an industry membership body with major event-based revenue, though it serves broadcast rather than print/digital editorial.

Regional players

• International Federation of Periodical Publishers (FIPP): Global trade association for magazine and periodical publishers. Comparable in serving the magazine industry through events and awards, but operates internationally while ASME is U.S.-only.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-society-of-magazine-editors
• Instagraminstagram.com/asme1963

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about (ASME) American Society of Magazine Editors