In the midst of the day-to-day demands of our lives and the constant multitasking, it’s often hard to step back and think about where the time went. Days and events seem to blur together. During the last week of the year, I like to review my calendar. I find that this exercise helps me put the year in perspective and revisit what I’ve done and who I’ve done it with.

My December editorial, “Taking Care of Business,” addresses how we can sometimes overlook colleagues who go about doing their jobs with little drama or complaint: the volunteers who give their time to free clinics, those who serve in the military or public service, the quietly competent colleagues we work with every day. They can easily become part of the blur of passing days because they show up, do their work, and move on to the next thing that needs to be done.

In the editorial, I briefly mentioned my colleagues here at AJN in that category. The staff works diligently to ensure that all manuscripts are fact-checked for accuracy and are edited to present the content in the best light and form. After a first round of editing, the articles are then copyedited. They’re laid out in page proofs and go through additional proofreading by a copy editor, nurse editors, and the article’s author(s). The process can be painstaking and repetitive, but accuracy and quality don’t happen without careful attention.

While AJN has received many awards over the years, in 2016 our team’s efforts had a banner year (see below). And so before we move into the new year, I want to share the accolades earned by this talented team with you, our readers. (Note: awards are given in several categories according to circulation size and market—these awards reflect AJN’s category of “external magazine, circulation 100,000 or less.”)

From the Association of Women in Communication

Clarion Award, Best Overall External Magazine

Clarion Award, Regular Editorial/Opinion Column

Clarion Award, Magazine Feature Article, External Publication: “Inside an Ebola Treatment Unit: A Nurse’s Report” (Debbie Wilson, author), and “The Potential Effects of Sleep Loss on a Nurse’s Health” (Linda Eanes, author)

From the American Society for Healthcare Publication Editors (ASHPE)

Gold Award, Best Peer-Reviewed Journal

Gold Award, Best Feature Article: “Inside an Ebola Treatment Unit: A Nurse’s Report” (Debbie Wilson, author)

Bronze Award, Best Blog: AJN Off the Charts

Bronze Award, Best Cover (Photo): September 2015