The Inuit Art Quarterly (IAQ), the world’s only magazine focused on Inuit and circumpolar Indigenous arts, has been nominated for two National Magazine Awards (NMAs) for the 2025 awards cycle. Announced by the National Media Awards Foundation on May 1, the IAQ is nominated in the Best Magazine: Art, Literary, and Culture and the One of a Kind Storytelling categories this year. If the IAQ wins in its Best Magazine category, it will also be in the running for the NMA’s grand prize, Magazine Grand Prix, which the IAQ previously won in 2022.
Each of the issues in the 2024 editorial calendar were helmed by guest editors: Jason Fox and IAF Board President Dr. Heather Igloliorte tackled the film-centred Tarrijaq issue (Spring); IAQ Tauttunnguaqti Napatsi Folger served as guest editor for Activism & Access (Summer), Sámi scholar and duojár Dr. Liisa-Rávndná/Liisa-Rávná Finbog guest edited Arctic Indigenous Futurisms (Fall) and IAF Board Vice-President Reneltta Arluk guest edited Inuvialuit (Winter) in celebration of 40 years from the signing of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement.
“Inuit Art Quarterly takes a complex, intersectional approach to covering visual art created by Inuit artists, and always feels like a celebration of the artist and the art,” NMA jurists said about the Best Magazine: Art, Literary, and Culture nomination. “IAQ is visually beautiful, thoughtful, and aims to expand the audience for Inuit artists as well as provide career advancement and funding opportunities for the featured artists.”
The One of a Kind Storytelling nomination comes for “Qikiqtaaluk ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ Baffin Island 1913–14”, a Feature article from Tarrijaq which presents a collaborative text by historian and curator Jo-Anne Birnie-Danzker and Inuk writer and curator Taqralik Partridge about the Inuit contributors to Robert J. Flaherty’s first film Qikiqtaaluk ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ Baffin Island. The Feature tells the stories of the Qikiqtaalungmiut who brought the film project to life, interweaving a historical narrative by Birnie-Danzker with a personal reflection by Partridge.
This is the IAQ’s fifth time being nominated in the category of Best Magazine: Art, Literary, and Culture: the IAQ was first recognized in this category in 2018, the IAQ was also nominated in 2020 and 2021, and won the category in 2022, going on to win the Magazine Grand Prix. It is also the third time the IAQ has been recognized for the One of a Kind Storytelling category: in 2023 “Tauttuq,” an Artist Project between Katherine Takpannie and Partridge, received an honourable mention, and in 2018 the sprawling, multi-authored portfolio “30 Artists to Know” was the silver winner for the category.
The 2025 winners will be announced at an awards gala on June 13.
Thank you to our loyal community of readers and donors for your support of Inuit art as well as our funders; Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, the Canada Council for Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and Ontario Creates, all of whom make the IAQ possible.
On behalf of the IAQ team, the Inuit Art Foundation staff and board of directors, we would like to acknowledge and congratulate all the guest editors, writers and artists who contributed to our 2024 editorial calendar. Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm, passion and creativity in our pages. You inspire us everyday.
Quyanainni, qujanamiik, nakurmiik, nakummek, quana, merci, thank you!