Studs Terkel Awards
SAVE THE DATE
2016 Studs Terkel Awards
5pm – 8pm, April 7, 2016
Please sponsor the event, buy your tickets now.
Studs Terkel was not just a name to us, he was a mentor and a guiding star.
In fact, Louis B. “Studs” Terkel was our patron saint from the founding of the organization in 1989, until he died in 2008.
History
For years, Studs Terkel chose the journalists who would receive this award. And for years, he gracefully and graciously led the annual tributes to the special kind of Chicago journalism these men and women excel at doing.
As Studs said in 2007, the award was 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.”
For years, he closed the ceremony, leading the crowd in his favorite song, “This Land is Your Land,” by Woody Guthrie.
Today, the Terkel Awards are chosen by the men and women Studs’ singled out, a committee of past Terkel Award winners.
Criteria
Presented annually, we honor outstanding media professionals for excellence in covering and reflecting Chicago’s diverse communities. 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.
The scholarship and philanthropists
On award night, we also recognize promising student journalists at Columbia College Chicago, home to Public Narrative. Plus, we single out and give thanks to special philanthropists, who understand how important our work is to this city with the Uplifting Spirit Award.
The event
It’s a fun night to honor the Fourth Estate — but it is also a significant fundraiser for all our events and program at Public Narrative, where we teach and train journalists and nonprofits to tell better stories.
Stud Terkel Award winners
2015
Maudlyne Ihejirika, Reporter & Journalist, Chicago Sun-Times
Monica Eng, Producer, Chicago Public Radio/WBEZ
Sharon Cohen, Reporter, The Associated Press
Darryl Holliday, Reporter & Producer, DNAInfo, and The Illustrated Press
Adele Simmons, Uplifting Voices Award winner
Columbia Links, Columbia College Chicago, Studs Terkel Community Media Scholarship Winner
2014
Steve Bogira, Reporter & Blogger, Chicago Reader
Alejandro Escalona, Web Manager, Telemundo
Steve James, Producer, Kartemquin Films
Gordon Quinn, Producer, Kartemquin Films
Katie Kather, Studs Terkel Community Media Scholarship winner
Fred & Nikki Will Stein, Uplifting Voices Award winners
2013
Megan Cottrell, Reporter, Chicago Reporter
Fernando Diaz, Managing Editor, Hoy Chicago
Dave Hoekstra, Reporter, Chicago Sun-Times
Lorne Clarkson, Studs Terkel Community Media Scholarship winner
2012
Mick Dumke, Reporter, Chicago Reader
Maria Hinojosa, Anchor, PBS and Latino USA on National Public Radio
Chip Mitchell, Reporter, WBEZ Chicago Public Radio
Daniel Castro, Studs Terkel Community Media Scholarship winner
2011
Linda Lenz, Founder and Publisher, Catalyst Chicago
Kari Lydersen, Freelance Reporter
Antonio Olivo, Reporter, Chicago Tribune
Devin Katayama, Studs Terkel Community Media Scholarship winner
2010
Kate Grossman, Deputy Editorial Page Editor, Chicago Sun-Times
Natalie Moore, Public Affairs Reporter, Chicago Public Radio
Mitchell Wenkus, Studs Terkel Community Media Scholarship winner
2009
David Jackson, Chicago Tribune
Alden Loury, Editor and Publisher, The Chicago Reporter
Scott Simon, National Public Radio
Thom Clark, Community Media Workshop
Hsin Yin Sung, Studs Terkel Community Media Scholarship winner
2008
Tom McNamee, Chicago Sun Times
Radio Arte, 90.5 FM
Dawn Turner Trice, Chicago Tribune
Karla DiBenedetto, Studs Terkel Community Media Scholarship winner
2007
Mary Helt Gavin, Publisher, The Evanston Roundtable
Stephen Franklin, Labor and Workplace Reporter, The Chicago Tribune
WRTO 1200 AM, La Tremenda (Univision Radio Network)
Lilia Markarova, Studs Terkel Community Media Scholarship winner
2006
Mark Brown, columnist, Chicago Sun-Times
Renee Ferguson, reporter, WMAQ-TV/NBC5
Mary Johns and the Editorial Team, Residents’ Journal
Sean Patrick Fahey, Studs Terkel Community Media Scholarship winner
2005
Tracy Baim, Windy City Media
John Conroy, Chicago Reader
Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune
James Weinstein, In These Times
Angela Caputo, Studs Terkel Community Media Scholarship winner
2004
Alex Kotlowitz, Journalist and Author
Linda Lutton, Daily Southtown
Phil Ponce, Chicago Tonight, WTTW
Suree Towfighnia, Studs Terkel Community Media Scholarship winner
2003
Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune & WGN
Jorge Mota, Channel 44, Telemundo
Tom Weinberg, Image Union, WTTW
Geena Gintzig & Meghan Just, Studs Terkel Community Media Scholarship winner
2002
Shirley Jahad, WBEZ-FM
Phil Kadner, Daily Southtown
Curtis Lawrence, Chicago Sun-Times
WVON-AM 1450
2001
Cornelia Grumman, Chicago Tribune
Martha Irvine, The Associated Press
Salim Muwakkil, In These Times and Chicago Tribune
2000
Lee Bey, Chicago Sun-Times
Ira Glass, WBEZ
Teresa Puente, Chicago Tribune
1999
Jon Anderson, Chicago Tribune
John White, Chicago Sun-Times
Laura Washington, The Chicago Reporter
Harry Porterfield, WLS Channel 7 News
1998
Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune
Ben Hollis, Wild Chicago
Chinta Strausberg, Chicago Daily Defender
1997
Don Terry, New York Times
Mary Mitchell, Chicago Sun-Times
John McDermott, The Chicago Reporter
1996
Ray Suarez, National Public Radio
Achy Obejas, Chicago Tribune
Carol Marin, NBC Channel 5 News
1995
Vernon Jarrett, Chicago Tribune and Sun Times
Charles Nicodemus, Chicago Sun-Times
Ben Joravsky, Chicago Reader
1994
W. Newman, Chicago Daily News andSun-Times
David Moberg, In These Times
Cheryl Corley, National Public Radio