Last month, the staff started looking through the submissions and compiling their own shortlists for each category. Now we’ve been discussing the shortlists together as a staff, one of the most fun parts of the process. As someone who has had more experience with prose than visual art, I appreciate these discussions a lot; I can get insight and more informed opinions from my fellow staff members that I can take into consideration when submitting my final votes. And it’s fun to hear opposing opinions about a piece—and surprising when I change my mind about a piece, whether I become more critical of something I really liked or I come to appreciate something I overlooked before.
We’ve had some great and thought-provoking submissions this year and can’t wait to figure out what the 2015 magazine will look like.