Exceptional Women in Publishing (EWIP) is a non-profit organization formerly known as Women in Periodical Publishing (WIPP). EWIP's goal is to help women in publishing support each other, develop leadership skills, and balance professional and personal interests. EWIP's programs are meant to foster growth for smaller, independent publications by and for women and to offer a range of community building and professional development programs through its gatherings, online communications, advocacy, mentoring and research.
EWIP mission is dual: to educate, empower and support women in publishing and to educate, empower and support women through the power of publishing. It does this through its Women's Leadership Conference, its annual Exceptional Woman in Publishing award, and its bi-monthly newsletter, EWIP Wired.
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EWIP is run entirely by volunteers. Its membership comprises women from all areas of publishing as opposed to strictly editorial, business, sales, or production. Its volunteer board meets monthly via teleconference and annually at the Women's Leadership Conference. Each board member works with volunteer committees on events, programs, awards, mentoring, and other EWIP activities.
EWIP builds its membership through regional events, social networking and the annual Women's Leadership Conference.
WIPP was founded in 1999 by four women who felt the need for a national organization that addressed the leadership aspirations of women in magazine publishing. Its first Exceptional Woman in Publishing (EWIP) award was presented at the FOLIO:Show in New York City that same year, to Gloria Steinem. Additional awards were added in later years: EWIP: Distribution, EWIP:Mentor, and EWIP: Entrepreneur.
In 2009 WIPP launched its first Women's Leadership Conference in San Francisco. The keynote speaker was Congresswoman Jackie Speier and the Exceptional Woman in Publishing award was presented at the luncheon to Alix Kennedy of Disney Publishing Worldwide.
In 2010 Women in Periodical Publishing became Exceptional Women in Publishing. EWIP's membership agreed that with publishing's expanded charter to online, video, and digital media the name of the association needed to be expanded as well to embrace all forms of old and new media.
EWIP has partnerships with trade associations and non-profits throughout the publishing industry. The associations support one another in communications with members, notification of events, and reciprocal discounts. Partner organizations include the Periodical and Book Association of America (PBAA), Red 7 Media, and Yale Publishing Course.
Since 1999 EWIP has honored an exceptional woman each year. EWIP looks for women who have risen to a leadership level in publishing, overcoming significant challenges in her career; who have achieved a high standard of excellence; and who consistently offer guidance to other publishing professionals to support them becoming leaders in the industry. EWIP award recipients have made extraordinary contributions to the publishing industry as a whole, and have demonstrated success and leadership in nontraditional or exceptional ways.