Harvard Divinity Bulletin Recognized as 'Magazine of the Year'

October 9, 2013
Kristie and Wendy holding the award plaque

Harvard Divinity Bulletin was recognized on September 28, 2013, as the Religion Newswriters Association's magazine of the year.

The Bulletin, which is published twice per year by Harvard Divinity School and includes articles, reviews, and opinion pieces on religion and contemporary life, religion and the arts, religious history, and the study of religion, took home first prize in the "Magazine of the Year: Overall Excellence in Religion Coverage" category. The annual RNA awards ceremony was held this year in Austin, Texas.

Commenting on the Bulletin, the RNA judges remarked: "The Harvard Divinity Bulletin is an example of excellence in enterprising religious journalism. It stands out for the exceptional breadth and depth of its approach to religious issues of the day, as they relate to philosophy, theology, and spirituality."

The new Summer/Autumn 2013 issue of the Bulletin is available now, both online and in print. The themed issue is focused on "Religion in Africa and the Diaspora," and features pieces by Rev. Jonathan Walton, Tracey E. Hucks, and HDS professor Jacob Olupona, among others.

The Bulletin has existed in various forms since 1936, but was transformed into a magazine in 2005. Mailed to more than 20,000 readers around the world, the Bulletin aims to reflect the intellectual rigor and religious pluralism thriving at Harvard Divinity School, while being broadly accessible to a general audience.

The issue of the Bulletin that was submitted to the RNA for consideration and won the first-place award was the Summer/Autumn 2012 edition, which featured pieces by Sarah Sentilles, MDiv '01, ThD '08, R. Gustav Niebuhr, as well as a number of HDS faculty members.

"This award is shared with all the editors (past and present), our designers (Kristie Welsh and Point Five Design), our printer (Flagship Press), and the HDS deans/administrators,' said Wendy McDowell, editor of the Bulletin. 'Also, a special thank you goes to our faculty adviser, Michael D. Jackson, who has been an active participant in soliciting articles, writing the Perspective, suggesting themes, and providing unwavering support."

—by Jonathan Beasley