NEW ORLEANS — Two Renaissance Publishing titles won a total of 27 awards at the 43rd annual International Regional Magazine Association awards presentation in Portland, Oregon. Acadiana Profile Magazine won 10 awards and Louisiana Life Magazine won 17. The publications, both edited by Melanie Warner Spencer, were finalists for the Magazine of the Year honor. 

Renaissance Publishing also produces Biz New Orleans magazine and BizNewOrleans.com.

“It’s an honor for us to be awarded these prizes for our work from our peers,” said Spencer. “The IRMA awards competition is always a tight race and we are fortunate to have so many talented colleagues to compete with year after year.”

Acadiana Profile took home silver in the design category for Overall Art Direction by longtime art director Sarah George, as well as silver for its Art and Culture Feature “Music Makers,” covering the rich traditions of making music and instruments in Acadiana. The magazine, which emphasizes coverage of the region’s food, earned bronze for its “Best of Dining” story in the Food Feature category and an Award of Merit in the Food Feature category.

In addition to its award as a finalist for Magazine of the Year, Louisiana Life also took home the top prize in the design category for Overall Art Direction by George.

The magazine was also awarded gold in the Cover category for its “On the Hunt” story about Upland hunting, as well as gold for the Recreation Feature category for its “Literary Lovers Travel Guide to Louisiana,” and gold in the Nature and Environment category, for its feature on conservation efforts in the Atchafalaya Basin.

The magazine’s “Louisiana Insider” podcast, hosted by Errol Laborde and produced by digital editor Kelly Massicot, won Bronze in the podcast category and the magazine’s website, louisianalife.com also took home a Bronze for Digital: Special Feature or Website.

IRMA members include state, province and regional publications from across the United States, Bermuda and Canada. The awards were granted for work published in 2022 and judged by an independent panel of industry experts. Renaissance Publishing Executive Editor Errol Laborde accepted the awards on behalf of the magazine during the annual event.

Based in New Orleans, Renaissance Publishing publishes eight in-house publications, including Acadiana Profile, Louisiana Life, New Orleans Magazine, Biz New Orleans, New Orleans Bride, New Orleans Homes and St. Charles Avenue, as well as multiple custom publishing for various businesses and entities around the greater New Orleans area. 

Complete List of Acadiana Profile Awards/Magazines with 34,999 or less circulation

• Finalist Magazine of the Year – Melanie Spencer and Sarah George
• Silver Overall Art Direction – Sarah George
• Silver Art and Culture Feature – Music Makers, Kevin Rabalais
• Bronze Art Direction of a Single Story – Best of Dining, Sarah George
• Bronze Reader Service – Cheap Eats, Eric Cormier
• Bronze Home and Garden – Communal Tables, Marie Elizabeth Oliver, Haylei Smith, Melanie Spencer, Sarah George
• Bronze Photo Series – Music Makers, Kevin Rabalais
• Bronze Cover – Light Recipes, Eugenia Uhl, Sarah George and Melanie Spencer
• Merit Food Feature – Cheap Eats, Eric Cormier, Joseph Vidrine, S. E. George, Sarah George, Melanie Spencer
• Merit Special Focus – The Food Issue, Melanie Spencer and Sarah George

Complete List of Louisiana Life Awards/Magazines with 34,999 or less circulation

• Finalist Magazine of the Year – Melanie Spencer and Sarah George
• Gold Overall Art Direction – Sarah George
• Gold Cover – On the Hunt, Kevin Rabalais, Sarah George, Melanie Spencer
• Gold Recreation Feature – Literary Lovers Travel Guide to Louisiana, Cheré Coen
• Gold Nature and Environment – Atchafalaya Basin, Kevin Rabalais
• Silver Historic Feature – Haunted Louisiana Cheré Coen
• Silver Portrait Series – Louisianians of the Year, Danley Romero
• Bronze Writer of the Year, Kevin Rabalais
• Bronze General Feature – La Nouvelle Louisiane, Misty Milioto
• Bronze Podcast  –Louisiana Insider, Errol Laborde and Kelly Massicot
• Bronze Column – From the Executive Editor’s Desk, Errol Laborde
• Bronze Department – Louisiana Made, Jeffrey Roedel, Danley Romero, Sarah George, Melanie Spencer
• Bronze Photo Series – On the Hunt, Kevin Rabalais
• Bronze Digital: Special Feature or Website – LouisianaLife.Com, Kelly Massicot
• Merit Art and Culture Feature – On the Hunt, Kevin Rabalais
• Merit Hed and Dek – Grape Expectations, Kevin Rabalais
• Merit Special Focus  – Conservation Issue, Melanie Spencer, Sarah George