How a Lucky Break Helped 'Esquire' Save Face

Remember that rumor I passed on, which turned out to be untrue, that Esquire had been shut out at the National Magazine Award judging? Well, it turns out to be not so untrue after all.

After the finalists were announced yesterday, the buzz going around magazine circles was that the perennial award winner had failed to net a single nomination, only to be granted a last-minute reprieve by the American Society of Magazine Editors, which didn't want to see one of the industry's iconic titles embarrassed.

I ran this rumor by Cindi Leive, ASME's president and editor in chief of Glamour, who confirmed that Esquire's nomination was a last-second affair -- though not as part of any conspiracy.

In fact, says Leive, another magazine had accidentally submitted the same material twice, in two different categories, in violation of ASME rules. The duplication wasn't discovered until late in the day on Tuesday, the final day of judging; when it was, the entry in question was disqualified, and Esquire -- which had just missed the cut -- was promoted to finalist.

I should mention here that Portfolio is a finalist in the same category, best special section.