Award Time

This magazine has many audiences. Most important, of course, is our readers--those who judge us each TIME they pick up an issue or subscribe to TIME. We are also judged by our fellow journalists and by members of the advertising community. Over the past few weeks, they have awarded us a few accolades, for which we are grateful. Among them:

GOLDSMITH PRIZE FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING Awarded annually by Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, the prize, which honors journalism that "promotes more effective and ethical conduct of government," this year went to TIME editors at large Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele for their series "What Corporate Welfare Costs." This is the 10th major prize the pair has received for this series.

NATIONAL MAGAZINE AWARDS For the fifth TIME in 20 years, the American Society of Magazine Editors named TIME one of five finalists for general excellence among publications with a circulation of more than 1 million.

DESIGNING A SUSTAINABLE WORLD AWARD Given by Global Green USA, the American affiliate of Green Cross International, the global conservation organization founded by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, this award honored Heroes for the Planet, our regular series on environmental issues. Edited by Charles Alexander, the series will culminate just before Earth Day (April 22) in a TIME special edition titled "How to Save the Earth," with articles by such distinguished conservationists as Edward O. Wilson and Richard Leakey, among others. The 2.8 million subscribers of our (kid) sister magazine TIME FOR KIDS will receive their own special issue, called "Kid Heroes for the Planet," featuring projects initiated by kids to save precious places from environmental hazards.

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR In this, the most prestigious photo competition held in the U.S., John Stanmeyer, our principal Asia photographer, was honored by the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the National Press Photographers Association.

HOTTEST MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR Adweek magazine picked TIME as No. 1 on its annual hot list, noting that we had "revitalized" the category of newsmagazine--the second time in the past three years we have been selected for that spot.

BEST MAGAZINE In its own annual feature, Advertising Age magazine profiled TIME as one of the five best magazines of the year. "The publication has witnessed a growth spurt," the magazine said, noting both TIME's increased support in the advertising community and the success of TIME DIGITAL, TIME FOR KIDS and TIME LARGE EDITION.

TIME Inc. announced last week that LIFE will no longer be published as a monthly. Instead, it will appear as occasional special issues, produced by the staff of TIME, and will form the basis of Internet and other businesses. LIFE was founded as a weekly in 1936, suspended regular publication in 1972, and was relaunched as a monthly in 1978. In the prospectus for the original LIFE, commissioned by Henry Luce, its mission was defined as: "To see life; to see the world; to eyewitness great events; to watch the faces of the poor and the gestures of the proud...to see and be amazed; to see and be instructed." All of us here value that great mission of LIFE, and we look forward to creating special issues that honor its heritage.

ROMESH RATNESAR and JOEL STEIN may not be the first of our writers intent on using the words doodie and poop in the lead of a TIME cover story, but it's safe to say they are the first to pull it off. Stein, who recently exposed the shopping habits of Leonardo DiCaprio and this week reveals the carnivorous appetites of 'N Sync., says, "I hate scatological humor, but I don't mind writing about it if it serves a higher purpose." Hmmm. The equally versatile Ratnesar, who within the past year has covered George W. Bush, Chinese espionage and Kosovar refugees, also has a second story in this issue. "The Faces of India's Future" profiles four brave individuals who are working to change India. Last September, Ratnesar and Stein teamed up to write GetRich.com, an inside look at Silicon Valley e-commerce entrepreneurs seeking to make millions, fast. This week the pair takes us inside the do-it-yourself dotcom scene, where everyone from Stephen King to scruffy indies is using the Internet to distribute his own music, TV, film and books. Ratnesar is now based in London, and so the team's techno-savvy came in handy. They wrote the story over speakerphone, with their computers hooked up across the Atlantic with a Timbuktu tieline.

It is a wonder that JOSHUA QUITTNER found the TIME this week to edit the Ratnesar-Stein cover story, since he doubles as managing editor of TIME DIGITAL, our technology supplement, which in April becomes a free-standing monthly magazine available on newstands and by subscription (dial 1-800-444-3404). While computers and the Internet have opened new worlds for us, rapid change can be overwhelming. TIME DIGITAL offers a guide to where to go, what to do and how to do it. "Like TIME," says Quittner, "our goal is to separate the noise from the signal. There is so much information out there that needs translating into something readers can understand and use."