Over its 18-year history and 41 online issues, Vertigo Literary Magazine club has garnered a long and rich history as Lynbrook’s only official literary magazine. Vertigo has previously been nationally recognized for its work, receiving awards such as All American Honors from the National Scholastic Press Association and advancing to Pacemaker Finalists. On Feb. 7, the club received yet another national award: Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines award presented by the National Council of Teachers of English.
“We were all pretty surprised, but also really excited because it’s a national award,” senior and Vertigo genre editor Aanya Mishra said.
Annually, the REALM program offers a few hundred awards to high school magazines across the United States. Magazines complete an application and are assigned a point value in each of the five categories — literary quality, variation in genre and voice, as well as artistic quality and variation of artistic genre and voice — totaling up to a maximum of 100 points. Different awards are then presented based on cutoffs in the point system. Of the different awards, the first-class award is the most prestigious; this year, Vertigo was among a select few that received this honor.
“I really wanted REALM to recognize Vertigo because our magazine has been outstanding for many years,” senior and Vertigo co-editor-in-chief Bethanie Lee said. “It’s also really important that Vertigo members feel recognized for their work so that they are encouraged to further engage with what they love to do.”
As Vertigo’s editors-in-chief, Lee and senior Emily Pedroza adjusted into their positions in spring 2024 preparing for the 2024-25 school year, making early plans to apply for the REALM award. The application process involved the two submitting the link to their website along with the name of their high school, editors-in-chief and adviser. Indesign files of their pages were also sent to be judged alongside the rest of the magazine.
“We submitted the application over the summer, and so I was pretty nervous that we didn’t receive any information until February,” Lee said.
Vertigo releases a total of five online issues each school year, with the spring issue also appearing in print. Each cycle, writers, artists and editors collaborate closely to provide critical feedback. While print issues feature artwork complementing the stories, online issues present independent artistic creations aligned with each issue’s unique theme.
“Though an award isn’t the motivation behind our creative art, by any means, I believe it’s important that our members receive the recognition they deserve,” Lee said. “That’s what Emily and I were aiming for.”
But winning the award didn’t just level the club’s prestige — it also affirms the club’s effort and goals.
“The recognition of our work means a lot to us because it validates the vision we have for Vertigo, which is a free, endless space where writers and artists can share their ideas and push their creative boundaries,” Mishra said. “In the future, I’d really love Vertigo to take on new risks, apply for more awards and see what else is out there.”
