Awards 
Join us May 13
The 26th Annual Community Media Awards will take place online on Thursday, May 13, 2021--three days before what would have been Terkel’s 109th birthday! Originally scheduled to happen in the fall of 2020 and postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the first time the awards will be held online. Click here to register to watch the the awards online.
The Studs Terkel Award is given to Chicago reporters, editors, producers, videographers and photographers who exemplify the values of Studs Terkel’s journalism, by taking risks in covering social issues.
The Uplifting Voices Award honors an individual—journalist or otherwise—who elevates the voices of people in Chicago communities.
The Ripple Effect Award is granted to a journalist anywhere in the U.S. whose work has had an impact in Chicago and beyond.
Sponsorship & Donations
This is also Public Narrative's big fundraiser of the year! There’s no ticket cost this year, which means more people will be able to attend the awards than ever. But that also means we’re relying on the support of those who are able to pay to make it happen. If you're one of those people, you can support us in one of two ways: Click here to make an online donation in any amount. Or, if you're interested in sponsoring this year's event, click here to learn more about becoming a sponsor.
Your contribution will enable us to keep offering community-engaged events, resources and training—and continue to honor people-centered journalism for years to come.
Louis B. “Studs” Terkel was not just a name to us, he was a mentor and a guiding star, from the founding of the organization in 1989, until he died in 2008.
Presented annually, the Studs Terkel Awards honor journalists whose work follows the values of Studs' journalism. As Studs said in 2007, the award is meant for journalists who go the extra mile in reporting news “from the people who made Chicago, news that’s bottom up rather than up, down. … That’s what this is all about.”
These reporters, editors, producers, videographers and photographers take risks in covering social issues by offering new or unusual perspectives, from housing to race to violence to health to education and beyond.
The awards are given for a body of work rather than a single article or series, and go to journalists at any stage of their career.
