2024 Community Awards
Watch the playback of our 29th Annual Community Media Awards, which took place on Thursday, May 9.
Bill Healy, Audio Journalist, Invisible Institute
Josh McGhee, Chicago Bureau Chief, MindSite News
Darcel Rockett, Senior Journalist, Chicago Tribune
Irene Romulo, Investigative Reporter, Cicero Independiente
The winner of the 2024 Uplifting Voices Award is:
Jacoby Cochran, Senior Host, City Cast Chicago
DeAnna Sherman-McLeary, Co-Founder & Executive Director, True Star Media
Na-Tae’ Thompson, C0-Founder & Executive Director, True Star Media
The winner of the 2024 Ripple Effect Award is:
Borderless Magazine, Team
Thanks again to our 2023 Community Media Award sponsors, Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications, The Joyce Foundation, Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities, and our media partner WTTW.
2023 Community Awards
Watch the playback of our 28th Annual Community Media Awards, which took place on Thursday, May 11.
Melissa Sanchez, Investigative Reporter, ProPublica
Tiffany Walden, Cofounder and Editor-in-Chief, The TRiiBE
Carlos Ballesteros, Investigative Reporter, Injustice Watch
Jodi Cohen, Investigative Reporter, ProPublica
The winner of the 2023 Uplifting Voices Award is:
Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Reporter, Block Club Chicago
The winner of the 2023 Ripple Effect Award is:
Craig Dellimore, Host, WBBM
Thanks again to our 2023 Community Media Award sponsors, Northeastern Illinois University and Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications, and our media partners CANT TV and Chicago Journalists Association. Please watch the CAN TV broadcast and share!
All Awardees
2025
Studs Terkel Award
Alejandra Cancino
Tonia Hill
Mark Jacob
Andrew Patner (posthumously)
Mauricio Peña
Uplifting Voices Award
Maurice Bisaillon
Ripple Effect Award
Eman Abdelhadi
People’s Choice Award
Amethyst J. Davis
Maira Khwaja
Dr. Timuel D. Black, Jr. Award for Civic Engagement
Elizabeth Todd-Breland
Chicago United for Equity
2024
Bill Healy
Joshua McGhee
Darcel Rockett
Irene Romulo
Jacoby Cochran
Na-Tae Thompson
Deanna McCleary
Borderless Magazine
Dr. Shaniqua Jones
2023
Carlos Ballesteros
Jodi Cohen
Melissa Sanchez
Tiffany Walden
Jamie Nesbitt Golden
Craig Dellimore
Sylvia Snowden
Jorge Martinez
2022
Bob Black
Maya Dukmasova
Jacqueline Serrato
María Inés Zamudio
Shermann “Dilla” Thomas
Michelle Duster
2021
Brandis Friedman
Michael Puente
Maureen O’Donnell
Karen Hawkins
Tonika Lewis-Johnson
Jamie Kalven
2019
Deborah Douglas
Britt Julious
Jerome McDonnell
Annie Sweeney
Jeff McCarter
Nikole Hannah-Jones
2018
Kathy Chaney
Michael Spencer Green
Dahleen Glanton
Odette Yousef
Kevin Coval
2017
Cate Cahan
Steve Mills
Carlos Javier Ortiz
Univision Chicago Newsroom
Terry Mazany
2016
Lolly Bowean
Sarah Karp
Richard Steele
Cecilia Vaisman
Aurie Pennick
2015
Maudlyne Ihejirika
Monica Eng
Sharon Cohen
Darryl Holliday & Illustrated Press
Adele Simmons
2014
Steve Bogira
Alejandro Escalona
Steve James
Gordon Quinn
Fred & Nikki Will Stein
2013
Megan Cottrell
Fernando Diaz
Dave Hoekstra
2012
Mick Dumke
Maria Hinojosa
Chip Mitchell
2011
Linda Lenz
Kari Lydersen
Antônio Olivo
2010
Kate Grossman
Natalie Moore
Progress Illinois
2009
Thom Clark
David Jackson
Alden Loury
Scott Simon
2008
Tom McNamee
Dawn Turner Trice
WRTE 90.5FM Radio Arte
2007
Mary Helt Gavin
Stephen Franklin
WRTO 1200 AM La Tremenda
2006
Mark Brown
Mary C. Johns & The Editorial Staff of Residents’ Journal
Renee Ferguson
2005
Tracy Baim
John Conroy
Mary Schmich
James Weinstein
2004
Alex Kotlowitz
Linda Lutton
Phil Ponce
2003
Rick Kogan
Jorge Mota
Tom Weinberg
2002
Shirley Jahad
Phil Kadner
Curtis Lawrence
WVON – AM 1450
2001
Cornelia Grumman
Martha Irvine
Salim Muwakkil
2000
Lee Bey
Ira Glass
Teresa Puente
1999
Jon Anderson
Hank DeZutter
Harry Porterfield
Laura Washington
John White
1998
Ben Hollis
Chinta Strausberg
Eric Zorn
1997
John McDermott
Mary Mitchell
Don Terry
1996
Carol Marin
Achy Obejas
Ray Suarez
1995
Vernon Jarrett
Ben Joravsky
Charles Nicodemus
1994
Cheryl Corley
David Moberg
M.W. Newman
OUR MEDIA GUIDES
We help guide the news ecosystem to produce news that matters.
Whether it’s training communities on the ground, gathering voices through our programs and events, or establishing strong partnerships to make greater impact, Public Narrative has worked through the decades to focus on what matters most–the people who shape our city through their voice and actions.