Louisiana Life Magazine Wins 7 Gold and 14 Total IRMA Awards
CALGARY, Alberta – On Sep. 18, Louisiana Life Magazine received seven Gold and 14 total International Regional Media Association (IRMA) Awards at the 46th annual awards event hosted in Calgary.
The 2026 IRMA Awards ceremony gathered magazine professionals from across North America to celebrate the awards, judged by 38 industry leaders/volunteers.
With 354 entries, IRMA presented 166 awards in Gold, Silver, Bronze and Merit for 45 categories.
“Louisiana Life boasts beautiful, lush photography and design throughout the issues—loved the Fall travel feature design & type treatment,” shared the IRMA Awards Jury. “The cover story ‘Hiding in Plain Sight’ is a lovely exploration of what we’ve lost and a passionate steward for what remains.”
With 51 Gold awards presented across the competition, Louisiana Life Magazine received seven Gold awards in the following categories:
- Nature and Environment for Circulation 34,999 or Less, for “Hiding in Plain Sight”
- Art and Culture Feature for Circulation 34,999 or Less, for “Mardi Gras Magic”
- Hed & Dek, for “Ducking and Weaving”
- Magazine Writer of the Year, Kevin Rabalais
- Art Direction of a Single Story, Circulation 34,999 or Less, for “Surf and Turf”
- Cover for Circulation 34,999 or Less, for “Hiding in Plain Sight, May/June 2025”
- Best Print Calendar, for the Louisiana Culinary Calendar
All Louisiana Life Magazine IRMA Awards
- Finalist: Magazine of the Year, Circulation 34,999 or Less
- Gold: Nature and Environment, Circulation 34,999 or Less
- Gold: Art and Culture Feature, Circulation 34,999 or Less
- Gold: Hed & Dek
- Gold: Magazine Writer of the Year
- Kevin Rabalais
- Bronze: Photo Series, Circulation 34,999 or Less
- Silver: Magazine Photographer of the Year
- Danley Romero
- Gold: Art Direction of a Single Story, Circulation 34,999 or Less
- For “Surf and Turf”
- Silver: Overall Art Direction, Circulation 34,999 or Less
- Sarah Majeste
- Silver: Food Feature
- “Food Lovers Travel Guide”
- Gold: Cover, Circulation 34,999 or Less
- Gold: Best Print Calendar
- Bronze: Website of the Year
- louisianalife.com
- Bronze: Podcast
Subscribe to the award-winning, bimonthly publication to receive every printed issue, featuring food, travel, art, recipes, events and more around the state.
About the Awards and IRMA
The IRMA Awards are the culminating event of the annual IRMA Conference, held this year in Calgary in partnership with the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association.
The conference featured keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops and networking under the theme “Media That Matters.”
“The IRMA Awards celebrate the very best in regional magazine journalism in North America,” said IRMA Executive Director Joyce Byrne. “Our magazine members are vital chronicles of place, people, history and community. These awards recognize excellence in writing, visual art, editing, art direction and brand marketing. IRMA is honoured to bring these publications and their teams together to celebrate regional storytelling.”
IRMA is a member-driven not-for-profit organization dedicated to connecting members through their passion for publishing and their communities. Since 1960, IRMA has been bringing members together to share business successes and celebrate regional stories, with a goal of professional development and a sustainable industry.
