Bennington College dared to reinvent what an alumni magazine could be in 2019, transforming Bennington from a publication that told stories to its readers to one that solicited stories from alumni by asking questions and publishing their selected and edited responses. This past summer we asked readers, What didn’t exist before you made it? In the winter we asked, What did you once believe to be impossible that you now think is possible? We have heard from alumni of nearly all ages and backgrounds. Their responses to the questions come as essays, as Q&As, as excerpts, as portraits and paintings, as videos and songs, as one liners and captioned photographs. The features are animated with a diversity of voices, points of view, and formats. Bookending the feature well are two departments: Headliners and Notes. Headliners is dedicated to highlighting members of the Bennington community covered by major media outlets. Class Notes and Faculty Notes were collapsed into one section—Notes—now organized by content rather than constituency. By doing this we were able to include staff news in Notes for the first time.
From the Judges
The judges unanimously felt that by asking the questions that they did, and then addressing the responses through their content, Bennington College put their ideas into action and successfully transformed the "typical" alumni/college magazine. Their efforts to listen to their readers and create a clear methodology behind their work led to a magazine filled with vibrant photos and layouts, as well as elevated content and writing.
