Variety Shines at National Awards

Variety has done it again, taking home a whopping 20 awards at the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards. This is a big jump from the 14 they won last year. They won in all sorts of categories, from news and business reporting to commentary and photography. Chris Willman, their chief music critic, won Print Journalist of the Year. This is his second time winning this award. Other winners from Variety include Kate Aurthur, Leo Barraclough, Daniel D’Addario, Clayton Davis, Matt Donnelly, Owen Gleiberman, Brent Lang, Kristen Lopez, Naman Ramachandran, Michael Schneider, and Michaela Zee. The magazine also won awards for their visuals. Jennifer Dorn, Haley Kluge, and Jennifer Halper won for their work on the magazine’s art and photography. A cover package on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was a big hit with the judges. Willman won one of his five awards for Best Music Feature for his cover story on Swift. The team of Dorn, Kluge, Richard Maltz, and Joe Toreno won Best Cover Art for a special image on the front cover of Variety’s weekly print edition. Brent Lang won two awards this year. One was for Business/Film/Print for his article on Netflix’s impact on Hollywood. The other was for Commentary Analysis/Trend, Film, Print for his piece on Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws. ” Daniel D’Addario won the award for Best Theater/Performing Arts Critic. Owen Gleiberman won the prize for Obituary/In Appreciation, Film Personalities for his remembrance of Val Kilmer. Kate Aurthur won a second prize for an appreciation of Shannen Doherty. Michael Schneider won the Hard News, TV/Streaming award for his article on the wildfires in Los Angeles. Clayton Davis won Commentary Analysis/Trend, Online for his column on Tony Hinchcliffe. Matt Donnelly won the trophy for Hard News, Film, Online for his article on Warner Bros. Naman Ramachandran won the award for Personality Profile, Film Industry, Online for his piece on Deepa Mehta. Michaela Zee won Film Feature, Production/History—Below-the-line Creatives for her story on a composer’s latest work. Leo Barraclough won the award for Film Feature, Production/History—Above-the-line Creatives for his piece on a Sundance documentary. Kristen Lopez won the prize for Diversity in the Film Industry, Online for her story on disabled performers in Hollywood. Besides Print Journalist and Music Feature, Willman’s other three wins were for Best Columnist, Online; Commentary Analysis/Trend, Music, for his piece on celebrity endorsements; and Music Feature, Group/Industry Artists, for his story on Shania Twain and Brandi Carlile. Variety also won dozens of second- and third-place honors in the 2025 NAEJ competition. The ceremony was held at the Millennium Biltmore, where the L. A. Press Club also hosts the SoCal Journalism Awards each July. Honorary awards were given out during the ceremony to Paul Anka, Larry Mantle, Marlee Matlin, Kasi Lemmons, and Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen. Anka wrapped up the program with a customized rendition of his most famous composition, “My Way, ” with lyrics altered to reflect both his own NAEJ honor and those of the attending journalists.