IEEE Spectrum garnered top honors at this year’s annual Jesse H. Neal Awards ceremony, held on 21 April. Known as the Pulitzer Prizes of business-to-business journalism, the Neal Awards recognize editorial excellence. The SIIA (Software and Information Industry Association) bestows the awards.
For the fourth year in a row, IEEE Spectrum was awarded the Best Range of Work by a Media Brand. The honor is given for overall editorial excellence.
IEEE Spectrum and its staff also received these awards:
- Best Art Direction for a Cover. “Do High-Tech Prosthetics Serve Their Users?” (October 2022). Creative Director Mark Montgomery, Photography Director Randi Klett, and photographer Gabriela Hasbun.
- Best Subject-Related Package. “The Transistor at 75” (December 2022). Senior Editor Samuel K. Moore and the Spectrum staff.
- Best Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coverage. “Nothing About Us Without Us” (October 2022). Acting Editor in Chief Harry Goldstein, Special Projects Editor Stephen Cass, Senior Editor Eliza Strickland, Contributing Editor Mark E. Harris, and Writer and Human Geographer Britt H. Young).
- Best Overall Art Direction/Design. “The Art of Cryptokitties (September 2022); “Radio Spectrum Turf Wars” (July 2022); and “The Vacuum Tube’s Forgotten Rival” (April 2022). Creative Director Mark Montgomery, Deputy Art Director Brandon Palacio, Online Art Director Erik Vrielink, and Photography Director Randi Klett.
- Best Single Article. “Bionic Vision: An IEEE Spectrum Investigation” (February 2022). Senior Editor Eliza Strickland and Contributing Editor Mark E. Harris.
- Best Single Issue of Tabloid, Newspaper, or Magazine. “The Transistor at 75” (December 2022).
- Best Range of Work by a Single Author. Senior Editor Eliza Strickland on artificial intelligence, neurotechnology, and geoengineering.
- Best Range of Work by a Media Brand.
Business editing and writing awards
IEEE Spectrum also won two awards and garnered an honorable mention from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. It was the first time the publication had vied for the awards. IEEE Spectrum competed against more than 190 news organizations including international, national, and regional outlets and specialized business publications.
- Investigative. “What Happens When a Bionic Body Part Becomes Obsolete?” (February 2022). Senior Editor Eliza Strickland and Contributing Editor Mark E. Harris.
- Technology. “What Happens When a Bionic Body Part Becomes Obsolete?” (February 2022). Senior Editor Eliza Strickland and Contributing Editor Mark E. Harris).
- Commentary. “The Bionic-Hand Arms Race” (October 2020). Honorable mention to Writer and Human Geographer Britt H. Young.
“Every day, IEEE Spectrum’s editors bring our readers the most insightful technology journalism around, and year after year our efforts are recognized by our peers,” Goldstein says. “It’s gratifying to know that IEEE members and the organization as a whole support our work, and that we’re giving them the best information in context as they tackle the thorniest problems facing humanity.”
Strickland adds that she and her coauthor, Harris, are honored by the accolades for their investigative article about Second Sight, a bionic-vision company that left early adopters with obsolete gadgetry in their eyes and brains.
“Technology journalism can’t just be cheerleading for the newest innovations,” she says. “IEEE Spectrum’s readers are critical thinkers who want to understand how advanced technologies are changing our society. We can help by bringing them the stories that matter most.”
Kathy Pretz is editor in chief for The Institute, which covers all aspects of IEEE, its members, and the technology they're involved in. She has a bachelor's degree in applied communication from Rider University, in Lawrenceville, N.J., and holds a master's degree in corporate and public communication from Monmouth University, in West Long Branch, N.J.
