Smithsonian (magazine) (Redirected from Smithsonian Magazine)
![]() September 2008 cover of Smithsonian | |
Editor | Michael Caruso (editor-in-chief) |
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Categories | History, science, arts, nature |
Frequency | Monthly |
Total circulation (June 2016) | 1,840,077 |
First issue | April 1970 |
Company | Smithsonian Institution |
Country | United States |
Based in | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Language | English |
Website | www |
ISSN | 0037-7333 |
Smithsonian is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970.
History
The history of Smithsonian began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of Life magazine, was asked by the then-Secretary of the Smithsonian, S. Dillon Ripley, to produce a magazine "about things in which the Smithsonian [Institution] is interested, might be interested or ought to be interested."
Thompson would later recall that his philosophy for the new magazine was that it "would stir curiosity in already receptive minds. It would deal with history as it is relevant to the present. It would present art, since true art is never dated, in the richest possible reproduction. It would peer into the future via coverage of social progress and of science and technology. Technical matters would be digested and made intelligible by skilled writers who would stimulate readers to reach upward while not turning them off with jargon. We would find the best writers and the best photographers—not unlike the best of the old Life."
In 1973, the magazine turned a profit for the first time. By 1974, circulation had nearly quadrupled, to 635,000, and it reached the one million milestone in 1975—one of the most successful launches of its time. In 1980, Thompson was replaced by Don Moser, who had also worked at Life, and circulation reached upwards of two million, in turn, by Carey Winfrey upon his retirement in 2001.
Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards
Every year since 2012, the magazine has sponsored the American Ingenuity Awards, a recognition of innovation in the arts, sciences and technology. Winners have included Bryan Stevenson, Elon Musk, Lin-Manuel Miranda, OK Go, John Krasinski, Dave Eggers, Aziz Ansari, Rosanne Cash, Jeff Bezos, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and David Lynch.
Presenters have included Stephen Hawking (twice), Stephen Colbert, David Byrne, Herbie Hancock, Erin Brockovich, Ruben Blades, Bill Nye, Art Spiegelman and Senator Al Franken.
The American Ingenuity Award itself was created by the artist Jeff Koons.
Smithsonian.com photo contest
Every year since 2003, Smithsonian magazine has run an international photography contest. Tens of thousands of images are submitted from over a hundred countries.
2019 Winners: Jon Enoch (Grand Prize), Matt Gillespie (Reader's Choice), Conor Ryan (Natural World), Yam G-Jun (People), Natnattcha Chaturapitamorn (Travel), Terrell Groggins (The American Experience), Dasha Pears (Altered Images), and Victoria Gorelchenko (Mobile).
2018 Winners: Rory Doyle (Grand Prize), Carla Rhodes (Reader's Choice), Anuroop Krishnan (Natural World), Willem Kuijpers (People), Denis Karasev (Travel), Jassen Todorov (The American Experience), Daniel Garay (Altered Images), and Kelley Dallas (Mobile).
2017 Winners: Thong Huu (Grand Prize), Sara Jacoby (Reader's Choice), Oreon Strusinski (Natural World), Dan Fenstermacher (American Experience), Tran Tuan Viet (Travel), Seyed Mohammad Sadegh Hosseini (People), Adam Żądło (Altered Images) and Mohammad Mohsenifar (Mobile).
2016 Winners: Pradeep Raja Kannaiah (Grand Prize), Milan Sachs (Reader's Choice), Prelena Soma Owen (Natural World), Stephanie Foden (American Experience), Peter Nutkins (Travel), Greta Rybus (Sustainable Travel), João Borges (People), Jim Mneymneh (Altered Images) and Alina Rudya (Mobile).
2015 Winners: Albert Ivan Damanik (Grand Prize), Alice Van Kempen (Reader's Choice), Hidetoshi Ogata (Natural World), Lauren Pond (American Experience), Tamina-Florentine Zuch (Travel), Tihomir Trichkov (Sustainable Travel), Benedetta Ristori (People), Radim Schreiber (Altered Images), and Jian Wang (Mobile).
2014 Winners: Pham Ty (Grand Prize), Nicolas Reusens (Reader's Choice), Lorenzo Mittiga (Natural World), Olivier Douliery (American Experience), David Martín Huamaní Bedoya (Travel), Joydeep Mukherjee (People), Jefflin Ling (Altered Images), and Yilang Peng (Mobile).
2013 Winners: Sergio Carbajo Rodriguez (Grand Prize), Candy Feng (Reader's Choice), Graham McGeorge (Natural World), Willie Huang (American Experience), Nidal Adnan Kibria (Travel), Simon Morris (People), Shamma Esoof (Altered Images), and Cesar Rodriguez (Mobile).
Contributors
Notable past and current contributors to Smithsonian have included:
- 1970 establishments in Washington, D.C.
- English-language magazines
- History magazines published in the United States
- Magazines established in 1970
- Magazines published in Washington, D.C.
- Monthly magazines published in the United States
- Science and technology magazines published in the United States
- Smithsonian Institution publications
- Webby Award winners