Alberta magazines foster amazing talent! Each year, as part of the Alberta Magazine Awards, the work of emerging non-fiction writers in our province are recognized. The Emerging Writer award is dedicated to early career journalists whose writing demonstrates a high degree of talent and promise. 

As we celebrate the 2024-25 Alberta Magazine Awards finalists announced June 27, 2025, let’s take a look at past recipients to learn how they have continued to grow and expand their talents over the years. 

Margarita Wilson was the 2023 gold award recipient for her piece “Life in Blue & Yellow” in Info Edmonton, documenting the history and current-day experiences of the growing Ukrainian population in the city. After her time working with Info Edmonton, Margarita returned to school and is currently completing her fourth and final year in the Interior Design program at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario. How has her work with magazines influenced her interior design studies?

“Though the two fields might seem worlds apart, so many of the skills I use in my design work—creative thinking, time management, and an eye for detail—were honed as a magazine writer. I’m currently completing my student placement on a project designing mobile healthcare clinics, and it was the research and interview skills that I developed at Info Edmonton that helped me land the role! I hope to continue in healthcare and community space design, and I’ll always be grateful to my time as a writer and editor for helping me along my journey.”

In 2022, Megan Klak received a gold award for “Mentorship as Social Sculpture” in Galleries West about mentoring as a support to help artists overcome barriers. She still writes for Galleries West, and works for the City of Edmonton as a Program Coordinator at the City Arts Centre, programming summer arts camps and school field trips. Her time at the magazine continues to influence her work to this day: 

“The process of interviewing so many different artists from all walks of life and learning how to turn that into an article that flowed together was invaluable to me. All of the writing I do, personally and professionally, is shaped by my early magazine writing experience. From artist statements to program descriptions, I care deeply about shaping the language that I use to communicate.”

Travis Klemp received the 2021 gold award for “Giving Back Better” in Avenue Calgary, a profile of Calgary-based entrepreneur and volunteer extraordinaire Alice Lam. These days Travis is the manager of Indigenous strategy for the Shared Platform at the national charity and public foundation MakeWay. As described in a profile on the MakeWay website, Travis’s role focuses on building “an even more supportive and culturally safe environment, ensuring Indigenous-led projects have the resources they need to thrive.” So how is this work tied to his time with magazines?

“My current work is largely influenced by my time spent collaborating with the many distinct Calgary communities to tell stories. Creating trusting and meaningful relationships with people to give them the space to share authentically is at the heart of writing great stories and is also the main driving force of my role now. Asking good questions and sharing that information clearly and in an entertaining way will always be important in any role I am in—writing focused or otherwise!”

Back in 2020, Stephanie Joe received an Emerging Writer award for her piece “Full Circle” in Avenue Calgary about the changing name of the space for Treaty 7 First Nations at the Calgary Stampede, and the evolution of a relationship between the Stampede and Indigenous peoples. Stephanie’s alma mater wrote about the award, and their former journalism student, in “Inspiring future Indigenous writers through storytelling” for SAIT’s LINK magazine alumni publication. We learn more about her more recent work as a journalist in the 2025 Alberta Native News profile “Indigenous Journalist Stephanie Joe Brings Humanness into Story.” 

Be sure to celebrate these amazing early career journalists with us as we eagerly follow their creative journeys!