The 20 most significant magazine covers of 2015

Some prominent magazine covers last year were as notable for their subject matter as their design.
After running down the 20 most controversial magazine covers and the top 20 naked celebrity magazine covers of the year, it’s time to consider the most significant magazine covers of the year.

Sports Illustrated; July 20, 2015

Sports Illustrated had a field day making covers for the U.S. women’s soccer team winning the 2015 World Cup.
First, it made a stunning digital cover with the team celebrating with the trophy.
Then, it created 24 covers for the print magazine: one cover for each of the 23 players and their coach.
(See articles by Sports Illustrated, the Daily Mail and the Huffington Post.)

Charlie Hebdo, January 2015

French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo courageously illustrated the Prophet Muhammad on the first cover of its publication after a terrorist attack on its offices.
The cover showed a crying Muhammad holding a sign reading “Je Suis Charlie,” the viral refrain of support for the staff of Charlie Hebdo.
On Jan. 7, 2015, two Islamic terrorists killed 12 people and injured 11 others at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Witnesses said the attackers yelled, “We have avenged the prophet.”
Some Muslims believe any depiction of the Prophet Muhammad is blasphemous, and Charlie Hebdo has published multiple satirical depictions of the prophet in the past.
Many U.S. news media refused to run a photo of the cover for fear of angering Muslims.
(See articles by Reason, the Boston Globe, the Verge and a follow-up article by Reason.)

Time; April 20, 2015

Time magazine earned kudos for its April 20, 2015, issue with a cover story on the implications of the fatal shooting of African-American man Walter Scott by Charleston, South Carolina, police officer Michael Slager.
(See article by the Huffington Post.)

Time; May 11, 2015

A few weeks later, Time magazine earned similar praise for its dramatic cover spotlighting the Baltimore riots after the death of Freddie Gray at the hands of police officers.
(See articles by the Huffington Post and Time.)

National Geographic, November 2015

National Geographic raised the temperature on the global warming debate by devoting an entire issue to the subject.
National Geographic’s “Climate Issue” has been nominated for an Ellie Award by the American Society of Magazine Editors. The 2016 National Magazine Awards for Print and Digital Media will be awarded on Feb. 1.
(See articles by National Geographic and ASME.)

Bloomberg Businessweek; June 15-28, 2015

Also nominated for a 2016 Ellie Award is Bloomberg Businessweek for its single-topic issue entitled “Code: An Essay.”
Bloomberg devoted its entire issue to the topic of software engineering.
(See articles by Bloomberg, the Huffington Post and another piece by HuffPo.)

Newsweek; Jan. 2-9, 2015

Newsweek had a bestseller on its hands with its cover story on the Bible. “So Misunderstood It’s a Sin,” the subhead said.
(See articles by Newsweek and CNN Money.)

Time; Dec. 21, 2015

Time magazine picked German Chancellor Angela Merkel its 2015 “Person of the Year.”
It faced the usual criticism for not picking someone controversial. (In years past, it has overlooked Edward Snowden, Osama bin Laden and others.)
(See articles by Reuters and Reason.)

Sports Illustrated; Dec. 21, 2015

Sports Illustrated picked tennis great Serena Williams as its 2015 Sportsperson of the Year.
(See articles by Sports Illustrated and the Daily Mail.)

Vogue, September 2015

Beyonce nabbed the cover of Vogue’s September issue, the fashion magazine’s most important issue of the year. She is just the third black woman, after Naomi Campbell and Halle Berry, to appear alone on the September issue cover.
(See article by the Huffington Post and a follow-up piece by HuffPo.)

Maxim, June and July 2015

Men’s magazine Maxim dumped its traditional Hot 100 list of sexy women and chose singer Taylor Swift as No. 1 on its reinvented Hot List.
The magazine wanted to “redefine what hot means,” according to editor-in-chief Kate Lanphear. Swift was chosen as much for her accomplishments as her good looks.
(See articles by WWD, the Huffington Post and Entertainment Weekly.)

Forbes; July 20, 2015

Singer Katy Perry was named the top-earning female celebrity of the year by Forbes magazine and earned a cover photo.
(See article by the Daily Mail.)

Sports Illustrated; June 15, 2015

Sports Illustrated commemorated the Triple Crown victory of racehorse American Pharoah with a dramatic cover photo.
(See article by Sports Illustrated and a critique by the Huffington Post.)

The New Yorker; June 22, 2015

The June 22, 2015, cover of the New Yorker magazine sparked a debate about kids spending too much time in front of computer screens.
(See article by the Huffington Post.)

The New Yorker; Sept. 14, 2015

The Sept. 14, 2015, cover of the New Yorker poked fun at rapper Kanye West and his stated plans to run for the presidency in 2020.
(See article by the Huffington Post.)

New York; Oct. 5-18, 2015

New York magazine turned a critical eye toward the state of Times Square in its Oct. 5-18, 2015, issue. Its racy cover was a parody of the famous Alfred Eisenstaedt photo of a U.S. sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square on V-J Day.
(See articles by New York magazine and Cover Junkie.)

Maxim, September 2015

Actor Idris Elba became the first ever male to appear solo on the cover of Maxim magazine with the September 2015 issue.
Maxim is trying to reinvent itself as it and other lad mags struggle.
(See article by the Daily Mail.)

Zoo, December 2015

British lad mag Zoo published its final print issue in December. The cover series featured the magazine’s usual array of beautiful busty women. Zoo’s end followed the demise of other lad mags, including Loaded, Nuts and FHM.
(See articles by the Daily Mail, the Guardian and the Telegraph.)

Details, December 2015

Conde Nast printed its final issue of men’s magazine Details in December with actor Eddie Redmayne on the cover.
(See articles by the Daily Mail and the Wall Street Journal.)

Oh My Vlog! July 22-Aug. 18, 2015

The premiere issue of Oh My Vlog! magazine was roundly criticized online. The new publication focuses on the superficial world of video bloggers, a new class of celebrities primarily on YouTube.
(See articles by the Huffington Post, Wired and Glamour.)