In the best showing in our publication’s history, The Local received eight nominations at the prestigious National Magazine Awards on Thursday. The nominations tie The Local with The Walrus for the third most of any publication across the country.

“It’s an incredible honour to be recognized among the very best in magazine journalism in Canada,” said Tai Huynh, The Local’s editor-in-chief. “I’m especially proud that our small, local publication was able to produce so many high-quality, impactful stories this past year.”

The Local’s nominations include one in the Best Editorial Package category for “Divided City,” our five-year anniversary issue that took an ambitious, unprecedented deep-dive into Toronto’s disparities. “This issue of The Local drew us in with its original photography, investigative storytelling, and interactive elements that crafted a true picture of Toronto now,” the jury wrote in their nomination.

Two stories from that issue also got individual nominations. Reporter Brennan Doherty and photographer Nick Kozak were both recognized for their work in “Another Year, Another Encampment, Another Eviction,” an intimate portrait of Toronto’s failing encampments strategy. And executive editor Nicholas Hune-Brown’s “Moss Park’s Lost Years” was recognized in feature writing.

Associate editor Inori Roy’s “Death and the Salesmen,” on Toronto’s booming bereavement industry, was nominated for Long-Form Feature Writing. And reporter Wency Leung was recognized in the Investigation Reporting category for her feature “GFL Says It’s ‘Green For Life’—Its Neighbours Disagree.” Last month, Leung’s GFL investigation was also nominated for a Canadian Association of Journalists Award.

In one of the most prestigious awards, editor-in-chief Tai Huynh was nominated for the Editor Grand Prix. In their nomination, the jury wrote: “​​Tai Huynh is a shining example of what it means to be an editor in contemporary Canadian journalism. He has led the creation and meteoric rise of a magazine that has grabbed everyone’s attention, within Toronto and far beyond. From his unwavering commitment to telling stories that go deeper to his willingness to nurture up-and-coming talent, Huynh has grown The Local into one of the country’s most important—and inspiring—independent media brands.”

Here are all the nominations: