Unless you’re a teacher in Alberta, you may never have had the pleasure of reading through a copy of the Alberta Teachers’ Association’s ATA Magazine. The magazine has a clear mandate, with a targeted audience of Alberta Teachers’ Association members. This is a magazine devoted to topics for teachers and about teaching in Alberta—specifically their association members—and the compelling stories and vivid design of each issue are truly engaging.

So how is this accomplished? Managing Editor Cory Hare shared with us how the goal of the magazine content is “to simulate the types of conversations that take place between teachers in a school staff room, which can vary from the sharing of amusing anecdotes to high-level discussions on topics like pedagogy (how to teach), child development and public policy.” And these are fascinating conversations.

The magazine’s impressive awards—11 nominations for Alberta Magazine Awards in 2024/25 alone, including as a finalist for Magazine of the Year—are a testament to the quality design and editorial content. “We’re proud to deliver a magazine that informs, engages and celebrates our members,” says Editor-in-Chief Elissa Corsi.

Part of the magazine’s success can be attributed to Hare, winner of this year’s coveted Editor of the Year award. “Under Hare’s guidance, the magazine has grown in both relevance and reach. Aware that teachers don’t have a lot of time to read a magazine cover to cover, Hare ensures the editorial line-up offers a vibrant mix of storytelling that reflects teachers’ everyday life,” writes Diane Bolt, in her profile of the award recipient.

One of Hare’s more recent endeavours, the result of years of work by the magazine’s editorial team, is the Winter 2024 issue “Take It Outside (The Norm),” featuring stories of teaching in unconventional settings. In her editor’s note, Corsi describes the issue as “shining a light on the transformative experiences that can arise from distinctive teaching spaces.”

The “Take it Outside (The Norm)” issue won silver in the Service Journalism category, in the Illustration category for Robert Carter’s work “Tom Spila: The Band Plays On,” and was a finalist for the Editorial Package (Print) and Feature Design awards. The issue includes Hare’s piece “Idyllic Isolation: Remote School Offers Adventure and Opportunity,” a finalist for Alberta Story, about Brittney Lyon’s experience as principal, and teacher of the 5­–9 cohort, at Chipewyan Lake school in Northern Alberta. Lyon describes how this unique teaching assignment “calls for a sense of adventure and relentless flexibility.”

Despite the many successes of the ATA Magazine’s Winter 2024 issue, it’s the earlier Fall 2024 issue We Are Here! that shines brightest as a gold recipient for the Editorial Package (Print) category, and in the Illustration category for Mathias Ball’s artwork in “Michael Koehler: Teacher, Builder, Creator.” It was also a finalist in both the Feature Design and Cover categories (with a cover illustration by Emily Chu).

The “We Are Here!” issue delves into a conversation about “the fostering of inclusive and safe spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ students and educators. Our commitment to nurturing environments where everyone, regardless of their gender identity or relationships, feels welcomed and valued is more than a goal; it’s a necessity,” writes Corsi. This conversation includes the story “” by Rin Lawrence, a finalist in the Essay category, providing his important personal insight as a teacher making the decision to come out as transgender to his students and colleagues: “Wearing a mask each day felt inauthentic and ultimately impacted the quality of my teaching. I felt removed from my students and incapable of creating genuine connections with them.”

As the editorial staff of ATA Magazine describe it, the publication is “a combination of three different ‘personalities’: 1) a journal of ideas 2) a how-to magazine 3) a community publication.” Yes, it’s written for (and by) teachers. Not a teacher? You might still want to sneak a peek at this award-winning magazine.