The High-Stakes Ellies Pool: We Have a Winner
Here it is, folks, the moment everyone — or, at least, Mark Whitaker — has been waiting for: The winner of Gawker's first-ever High-Stakes Ellies Pool, in which the assembled media-pundit masses competed for prizes and praise by picked who'd win each of the 22 National Magazine Awards.
Way should say up front that this was not an impressive showing. The wisdom of crowds, we discovered, was not so wise: The consensus predictions were only accurate in eight of the 22 categories. In four of the categories — Leisure Interests, Reporting, Feature Writing, and Profile Writing — not a single polled pundit picked correctly. Even the winner — who receives the coveted title of Most Accuratest Media Pundit in New York — got only 10 of 22 right.
And who is the Most Accuratest Media Pundit in New York? It's the Towering Inferno, friends: Women's Wear Daily media editor Jeff Bercovici.
Mazel tov, Jeff. Let us know when you're free for lunch, and we'll present you with your prizes, including the Gawker Ellie, above. After the jump, the final standings — and the final Excel spreadsheet.
Jeff Bercovici, WWD: 10
Greg Lindsay, Mediabistro and freelance: 8
Lisa Granatstein, Mediaweek: 7
Jon Fine, BusinessWeek: 7
Nat Ives, Ad Age: 7
Keith Kelly, New York Post: 6
Rachel Sklar, Huffington Post: 6
Dylan Stableford, Mediabistro: 6
Jon Friedman, MarketWatch: 5
Sara James, WWD: 5
Lockhart Steele, Gawker Media: 5
Gabe Sherman, New York Observer: 4
