'Trendsetting' Grazia wins PPA gong

Bauer Consumer Media's weekly women's glossy Grazia was lauded as "a media icon of our times" as it was named consumer magazine of the year at last night's Periodical Publishers Association 2008 awards ceremony.

The PPA judges said the "trendsetting title was a media icon" and was "the sharpest reflection of what the modern female head currently holds".

Other winners at last night's awards included Maureen Rice, who was named editor of the year for her work on Hachette Filipacchi UK's Psychologies.

Muslim comedian Shazia Mirza was named columnist of the year for her fortnightly column in political weekly the New Statesman.

The judges praised Mirza, a relative newcomer who joined the New Statesman 10 months ago, as a columnist "who actually talks to their readers" said it "gives an insight into a whole culture that does not have a voice in the British media".

"She writes as a feisty young Muslim woman with a self deprecating and needle sharp humour, prepared to break taboos and make us think about the most controversial issues of our time, from suicide bombers to virginity," they said.

"For example: 'With the IRA it used to be basic bombing, but the Muslims thought, "Anything you can do, I can do better", so we threw in suicide and the game was up for the IRA."

IPC Media's NME won the consumer media brand of the year award. The judges were impressed with NME's approach to brand development, "setting the template for how a modern magazine brand can extend its reach and influence in a variety of ways and across a variety of mediums".

International consumer magazine of the year was won by Bauer's FHM. The judges commented on its "impressively different editorial in each market" and the "continuing ability to move into new markets, difficult when you're already in so many".

For his relaunch of Esquire, David McKendrick was named designer of the year, consumer magazines. The judges said his redesign last year was "a brave redesign given the sector in which the magazine lives".

Business media designer of the year was Sam Jenkins of CMP Information's Building.

Newscientist.com, from Reed Business Information, was named interactive consumer magazine of the year; while Haymarket's Autocar, which bills itself as the world's oldest established car magazine, was the consumer specialist magazine of the year. Autocar won for its relaunch as a quality weekly with saddle stitching and a new design.

Farmers Guardian, from CMP Information, won editorial campaign of the year for its fair trade for British farmers project.

Using the slogan "No cows, no countryside", the campaign raised consumer awareness of the pricing issues crippling the industry and ran simultaneously in Farmers Guardian and Country Living.

BrandRepublic.co.uk, from Haymarket Business Media, was free access business website of the year; while paid-for business website of the year was workplacelaw.net - the online extension of Workplace Law Magazine from the Workplace Law Group.

Last night's PPA awards were hosted by comedian Jon Culshaw and held at London's Grosvenor House hotel.

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