The National Magazine Awards finalists are out and The New Yorker leads the way with ten nominations. including for general excellence. Los Angeles Magazine is also up in general excellence, enough reason for editor Kit Rachlis to send the staff a hurrah.

Hey, everyone,

I am delighted—glowing would be more like it—to announce that we are a finalist in General Excellence (circulation 100,000 to 250,000) for the 2009 National Magazine Awards. This is the big nomination—the Pulitzer of our industry, the one that recognizes the whole magazine, that acknowledges the efforts of the entire staff. As anyone who has worked here knows, magazines are an intensely collaborative effort. A single piece may reflect the individual voice of the writer, but that voice can only achieve its full expression with the help of numerous people. That process is multiplied over and over again month after month, from the smallest caption to the most ambitious feature. So this nomination belongs to all of you—as well as to those who contributed to the magazine but are no longer here.

Thank you,

Kit

Los Angeles is up against Foreign Policy, Mother Jones, Paste and Time Out New York at the 100,000-250,000 circulation level. Here's the American Society of Magazine Editors release.