Here are the finalists for the 2020 Peter Lisagor Awards

Here are the finalists for the 2020 Peter Lisagor Awards, representing some of the best journalism made across the Chicago region over the past year in more than 100 categories, including newspapers, magazines, television, radio and digital media.

Entries were judged by an impartial SPJ chapter outside Illinois. Winners will be announced virtually on Friday, May 14, when the club will also celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Thank you to all who submitted. Here are this year’s finalists (you can click on the links below to skip to a specific section):

BEST ALL MEDIA
GENERAL INTEREST DAILY NEWSPAPER, NEWS SERVICE OR BUREAU
NON-DAILY NEWSPAPER, MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER MAGAZINE SECTION
BROADCAST: TELEVISION
BROADCAST: RADIO
SPECIALTY/TRADE
ONLINE

ALL MEDIA

Best Deadline Reporting

Kiran Misra, Chicago Reader, “Most of the people arrested at the protests were Black”
Mauricio Pena, Block Club Chicago, “Planned explosion covered Little Village in dust during respiratory pandemic. Why did the city let it happen?”
Tom Schuba, Rachel Hinton, Ashlee Rezin Garcia, Jake Wittich, Brian Ernst and Brian Rich, Chicago Sun-Times, “Customers turned away as recreational weed sales wrap up historic first day in Illinois”

Best Investigative Reporting

Jodi S. Cohen, Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica Illinois, co-published with Detroit Free Press, Bridge Michigan and Bridge Detroit, “Grace: A failure in Michigan’s juvenile justice system”
Staff, Invisible Institute, The Intercept, Topic Studios and iHeartRadio, “Somebody”
Casey Toner, Jared Rutecki, Emily Hoerner, Bea Malsky, Forest Gregg and Jean Cochrane, Better Government Association, Injustice Watch, Chicago Reporter and DataMade, “The Circuit”

Best Feature Story

Monte Reel, Bloomberg News, “A murder in Honduras reveals the dark side of clean energy”
Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica Illinois, “Inside the lives of immigrant teens working dangerous night shifts in suburban factories”
Staff, ProPublica Illinois, “COVID-19 took Black lives first. It didn’t have to.”

Best Feature Series

Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, “COVID-19: stories of survivors and victims”
Staff, Invisible Institute, The Intercept, Topic Studios and iHeartRadio, “Somebody”
Staff, Chicago Sun-Times, “Chicago murals, mosaics”

Best Short Film Documentary

Martha Irvine, Bram Janssen, Gillian Flaccus, Dmitry Vlasov, Paolo Santalucia and Themis Hakizimana, The Associated Press, “Global Pandemic: Through the Eyes of Children”
Martha Irvine, Gerald Herbert, The Associated Press, “Many Americans ‘worried about their next meal'”

Best Photography

Colin Boyle, Block Club Chicago, “Protests, looting, police violence: A summer of unrest in Chicago”
Staff, Chicago Tribune, “COVID-19 pandemic”
Manuel Martinez, WBEZ Chicago, “The life of a marijuana plant”

Best Multimedia Collaboration

Staffs, Block Club Chicago, Better Government Association, Chalkbeat Chicago, The Chicago Reporter, La Raza, The Daily Line and The Triibe, “Lens on Lightfoot”
Linda Lutton, Andrew Fan, Alden Loury, Paula Friedrich, Aaron Allen and Ashish Valentine, Cate Cahan, City Bureau and WBEZ, “Where banks don’t lend”
Mila Koumpilova, Terrence Antonio James, Chalkbeat Chicago and Chicago Tribune, “Pandemic High”

Best Graphics

Jason McGregor, Crain’s Chicago Business, “Interactive CTA ridership map and other graphics”
Elmarie Jara, ABA Journal, “50 Ways to Market Your Practice and other graphics”
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, “Michael Jordan timeline and other graphics”

Best Illustration

David Alvarado, City Bureau, “Chicago budget series”
Thoka Maer, ProPublica Illinois, Chicago Tribune, Grenades, “Bread and body bags: How Illinois has spent $1.6 billion in response to COVID-19 so far”
Christie Tirado, Gaby Hurtado-Ramos, ProPublica Illinois, “Inside the lives of immigrant teens working dangerous night shifts in suburban factories”

Best Data Journalism

Matthew Hendrickson, Matt Kiefer, Chicago Sun-Times, “Blacks make up 75% of those charged with violating city curfew, data show”
Ash Ngu, Jodi S. Cohen, Jennifer Smith Richards and Thoka Maer, ProPublica Illinois, Chicago Tribune, “Grenades, bread and body bags: How Illinois has spent $1.6 billion in response to COVID-19 so far”
Casey Toner, Jared Rutecki, Emily Hoerner, Bea Malsky, Forest Gregg and Jean Cochrane, Better Government Association, Injustice Watch, Chicago Reporter, DataMade, “The Circuit”

GENERAL INTEREST DAILY NEWSPAPERS, NEWS SERVICE OR BUREAU

Best Deadline Reporting – Circulation more than 100,000

Peter Nickeas, Jeremy Gorner, Paige Fry, Megan Crepeau, Chicago Tribune, “Gresham funeral home shooting”
Katherine Rosenberg Douglas, Paige Fry, Rosemary Sobol, Jessica Villagomez, Chicago Tribune, “Pregnant woman killed”
Staff, Chicago Tribune, “George Floyd fallout”

Best Deadline Reporting – Circulation less than 100,000

Megan Jones, Sarah Freishtat, Stacy St. Clair, Steve Lord, Aurora Beacon-News, “Fire, looting, tear gas in downtown Aurora; mayor imposes curfew after protest turns violent”
Russell Lissau, Douglas T. Graham, Jake Griffin, Joe Lewnard, Daily Herald, “Two girls killed in fire”
Joseph S. Pete, The Times of Northwest Indiana, “Protests and civil unrest after the killing of George Floyd”

Best Investigative Reporting – Circulation more than 100,000

Lauren FitzPatrick, Chicago Sun-Times, “30 public schools in Chicago are named for slaveholders; surprised CPS promises changes”
Todd Lighty, Gary Marx, David Jackson, Chicago Tribune, “Crime and bond reform in Cook County”
Tim Novak, Lauren FitzPatrick, Chicago Sun-Times, “Cook County Land Bank Authority investigation”

Best Investigative Reporting – Circulation less than 100,000

Jake Griffin, Daily Herald, “Religious institutions got $166M in PPP loans”
Eric Peterson, James Kane, Daily Herald, “U-46 teacher fired after accusations of improper relationships”
A.D. Quig, Crain’s Chicago Business, “Businesses have to wait for emergency loans from city”

Best Political and Government Reporting – Circulation more than 100,000

Nader Issa, Chicago Sun-Times, “At CPS high schools, a stark racial divide on when cops are called on students and arrests”
Frank Main, Andy Grimm, Chicago Sun-Times, “Long delays for justice”
Gregory Pratt, Alice Yin, Jennifer Smith Richards, Stacy St. Clair, John Byrne, Chicago Tribune, “Chicago mayor’s broken promises”

Best Political and Government Reporting – Circulation less than 100,000

Russell Lissau, Daily Herald, “The ‘red mirage’ in the suburbs”
Alex Nitkin, The Daily Line Chicago, “Residents await Lightfoot’s master plan on affordable housing as citywide crisis deepens”
Lauren Rohr, Katlyn Smith, Daily Herald, “Election 2020: Voting by mail”

Best Education Reporting – Circulation more than 100,000

Nader Issa, Chicago Sun-Times, “At CPS high schools, a stark racial divide on when cops are called on students and arrests”
Leslie Patton, Nic Querolo, Olivia Raimonde, Bloomberg News, “Education in the age of Covid-19”
Jennifer Smith Richards, Jodi Cohen, Chicago Tribune, “Outbreaks and a digital divide: How Illinois schools struggled with COVID-19”

Best Education Reporting – Circulation less than 100,000

Carole Carlson, Post-Tribune, “Gary’s Roosevelt High was built for a growing city’s Black students when schools resisted integration. Now it’s shuttered with an uncertain future.”
Jake Griffin, Daily Herald, “Preparation and partnership”
Madhu Krishnamurthy, Daily Herald, “Pandemic decisions for schools, parents”

Best Science, Health, Technology or Environment Reporting – Circulation more than 100,000

Tony Briscoe, Patrick O’Connell, Chicago Tribune, “Climate Change: Great Lakes, High Stakes”
Monte Reel, Bloomberg News, “A murder in Honduras reveals the dark side of clean energy”
Annie Sweeney, Joe Mahr, Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, “Chicago violence”

Best Science, Health, Technology or Environment Reporting – Circulation less than 100,000

Joseph S. Pete, The Times of Northwest Indiana, “Coronavirus vaccine rollout”
Joseph S. Pete, The Times of Northwest Indiana, “Bald eagle nest blown down after eight years in Black Oak”
Staff, Daily Herald, “Covering COVID-19 in the suburbs”

Best News Column or Commentary – Circulation more than 100,000

Maudlyne Ihejirika, Chicago Sun-Times, “COVID-19 fears sandwich generation; Mother’s Day coronavirus social distancing can she feel love?”; “Millennial pandemics surge coronavirus outbreak”
Ismael Perez, Chicago Sun-Times, “Mexican mother raised American children; Remote learning bilingual students challenges Chicago public schools”; “Non-voting Latino ballot box”
Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, “I was hospitalized with COVID; Single mom hairdresser turned COVID nurse”; “South Loop tribute for dying dad”

Best News Column or Commentary – Circulation less than 100,000

Burt Constable, Daily Herald, “Suburban stories”
Marni Pyke, Daily Herald, “In Transit”
Ted Slowik, Daily Southtown, “Ted Slowik columns”

Best Editorial Writing – Circulation more than 100,000

Lee Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, “Keep Mercy Hospital open editorials”
Editorial Board, Chicago Sun-Times, “Strife on the streets” and police reform editorials
Lorraine Forte, Chicago Sun-Times, “Kids belong in school (real school) despite pandemic” editorials

Best Editorial Writing – Circulation less than 100,000

Diane Dungey, Daily Herald, Diane Dungey editorials
Editorial Board, Daily Herald, “The COVID-19 test”
John Lampinen, Daily Herald, John Lampinen editorials

Best Business or Consumer Reporting – Circulation more than 100,000

Tim Novak, Lauren FitzPatrick, Chicago Sun-Times, “Cook County Land Bank Authority investigation”
Tim Novak, Robert Herguth, Chicago Sun-Times, “What Chicago’s COVID hospital cost”
Peter Waldman, Lydia Mulvany, Polly Mosendz, Jen Skerritt, James Attwood, Bloomberg News, “U.S. meat plants expose dire toll of pandemic”

Best Business or Consumer Reporting – Circulation less than 100,000

Amy Lavalley, Post-Tribune, “Last day for Chesterton Tribune”
Joseph S. Pete, The Times of Northwest Indiana, “3 Floyds permanently closing Munster brewpub”
Rick West, Daily Herald, “Tiny office demand surges”

Best Feature Story or Series – Circulation more than 100,000

Megan Crepeau, Jeremy Gorner, William Lee, Chicago Tribune, The face of Cabrini-Green: A lost child, a legacy of failure and a changing neighborhood
Stefano Esposito, Chicago Sun-Times, 25 years later, Fox River Grove Metra-school bus crash still haunts engineer, other survivors
Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, COVID-19: stories of survivors

Best Feature Story or Series – Circulation less than 100,000

Alix Atwell, Daily Herald, COVID diary
Burt Constable, Daily Herald, Prince’s second chance
Jerry Davich, Post-Tribune, Series on grieving during the pandemic

Best Arts Reporting and Criticism – Circulation more than 100,000

Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, ‘Bug’ Steppenwolf review and others
Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, Do cop shows like Chicago P.D. reinforce misperceptions about race and criminal justice? A new study says yes.
Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune, In Skokie, an architecturally arresting pot shop reveals how marijuana has gone mainstream

Best Arts Reporting and Criticism – Circulation less than 100,000

Joseph S. Pete, The Times of Northwest Indiana, Gary razing historic Memorial Auditorium where Jackson 5, Truman and Sinatra once took the stage
Katlyn Smith, Daily Herald, A botanical showplace
Barbara Vitello, Daily Herald, The making of a musical

Best Sports Story – Circulation more than 100,000

Steve Greenberg, Chicago Sun-Times, Basket cases at Wrigley Field
Ben Pope, Chicago Sun-Times, Last fan standing
Stacy St. Clair, Chicago Tribune, A dream denied

Best Sports Story – Circulation less than 100,000

Joseph S. Pete, The Times of Northwest Indiana, White Sox fan killed in crash attends game with her family – ‘in spirit, one last time’

Best Sports Commentary – Circulation more than 100,000

Steve Greenberg, Chicago Sun-Times, Waubonsie Valley basketball Gavin Halagiere one-handed player; Cubs, Wrigley Field and coronavirus; Black Lives Matter
Shannon Ryan, Chicago Tribune, Not my coach. Notre Dame icon Lou Holtz risks estrangement from the university and his former players with his tone-deaf RNC speech.
Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, ‘Survive and advance’ has a whole new meaning this March.

Best Sports Commentary – Circulation less than 100,000

Barry Rozner, Daily Herald, Marc Silverman collects the biggest win of his life; We’ll not see the likes of Theo Epstein again; The story behind Len Kaspers’ bold decision

Best News Photo – Circulation more than 100,000

Erin Hooley, Chicago Tribune, Looting at Lake and Dearborn
Ashlee Rezin Garcia, Chicago Sun-Times, Burning rage
E. Jason Wambsgans, Chicago Tribune, Clash in Kenosha

Best News Photo – Circulation less than 100,000

Brian Hill, Daily Herald, Centenarian’s COVID birthday
Karie Angell Luc, Elgin Courier-News, U-46 superintendent’s tweet sparks anger from parents of special needs students who want return to in-person learning

Best Feature Photo – Circulation more than 100,000

Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune, Working from home
Armando L. Sanchez, Chicago Tribune, Election Celebration

Best Feature Photo – Circulation less than 100,000

Joe Lewnard, Daily Herald, Kites and shadows
Karie Angell Luc, Elgin Courier-News, Halloween trick-or-treaters just as fun to watch from the windows at senior complex in Elgin
John Starks, Daily Herald, Pandemic seder

Best Sports Photo – Circulation more than 100,000

Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune, 104-yard return
Jose M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune, Missed opportunity

Best Sports Photo – Circulation less than 100,000

Mark Welsh, Daily Herald, Championship hug
Mark Welsh, Daily Herald, Rush for glory

Best Design (no circulation restriction)

Bryan Barker, Chicago Sun-Times, COVID-19 page 1 designs
Akiko Spencer, Chicago Sun-Times, Sport page designs
Eric White, Chicago Sun-Times, White hot

Best Technology Reporting (no circulation restriction)

Joseph S. Pete, The Times of Northwest Indiana, Tech company claiming it will transform Gary was barred from selling securities in California
John Pletz, Crain’s Chicago Business, What COVID-19 means for Chicago’s tech sector
John Pletz, Crain’s Chicago Business, Why venture capitalists are writing checks without a meeting

Best Special News Section (no circulation restriction)

Staff, Chicago Sun-Times, The year in review
Staff, Chicago Sun-Times, In this together
Sports Staff, Chicago Sun-Times, Visionaries

NON-DAILY NEWSPAPER, MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER MAGAZINE SECTION

Best In-depth Reporting

Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven, Chicago Reader, This is how deportation fractures American families
Stephanie Goldberg, Crain’s Chicago Business, Critical conditions
Dave Oberhelman and Elena Ferrarin, Glenview Herald, It’s my son; I miss him

Best In-depth Reporting in a Community Newspaper

Cailey Gleeson, Emma Oxnevad, Ella Lee, Brita Hunegs, Keira Wingate, The DePaulia, Calvente series
Tom Robb, Niles Journal, Yousif’s death brings calls for better safety
F. Amanda Tugade, Grace Del Vecchio, Kelly Garcia, Corli Jay, City Bureau and Austin Weekly News, Chicago’s heated 2021 budget season

Best In-depth Reporting in a Business Magazine or Newspaper

Danny Ecker, Crain’s Chicago Business, Missing Pieces
Danny Ecker, Crain’s Chicago Business, Downshift

Best News Column or Commentary

John W. Fountain, Chicago Crusader, We wear the mask and other columns
Georgia Garvey, Pioneer Press, Why are we in quarantine? We’re saving lives of people we will never meet; First Christmas present; Five elephants
Liane Jackson, ABA Journal, Cruel justice equation; Behind bars in Scandinavia

Best Editorial Writing

Ann Dwyer, Crain’s Chicago Business, A reason for optimism; The face of public corruption is all smiles; The door to change is now open
Michele Weldon, West Suburban Living Magazine, The lost art of saying sorry; Avoiding a fall of discontent; Dishing up change

Best Business Reporting

Aaron Gettinger, Hyde Park Herald, Wesley’s Shoes celebrates 50 years of ‘sit-and-fit’ business
Mark Guarino, Philip Montoro, Chicago Reader, Will Bloodshot Records stay in the saddle?
Peter Waldman, Lydia Mulvany, Polly Mosendz, Bloomberg News, Cold, crowded, deadly: How U.S. meat plants became a virus breeding ground

Best Feature Story

Micco Caporale, Brianna Wellen, Chicago Reader, Tiger King of the Midwest
Leor Galil, Philip Montoro, Chicago Reader, The saga of Punkin’ Donuts
Kate Silver, Chicago Health Magazine, Learning from the dead: The enduring gift of donating a body to science

Best Feature Series

Martha Bayne, Jim Daley, Bea Malsky, Jason Schumer and The TRiiBE, South Side Weekly,
Staff and Sujay Kumar, Chicago Reader, Pandemic Personal Essays
Jackie Rosa, Bobby Vanecko, Dimitriy Leksanov, Jackie Serrato, Madeleine Parrish and Kia Smith, South Side Weekly, Defund the Police series
South Side Weekly, Protest Timelines

Best Non-deadline Reporting

Katie Scarlett Brandt, Chicago Health Magazine, The Great Unequalizer: Chicago faced severe health inequities long before Covid-19. Whose job is it to solve the problem?
Maya Dukmasova, Sujay Kumar, Chicago Reader, That lockout you witnessed? It didn’t happen.
Adam M. Rhodes, Karen Hawkins, Chicago Reader, We’re not asking for any more than what we are already deserved

Best Political Reporting in Newspaper or Magazine

Kiran Misra, South Side Weekly, The contradictions of a progressive police chief
John Pletz, Crain’s Chicago Business, Why Lyft is spending money on Illinois pols
A.D. Quig, Crain’s Chicago Business, Here’s what really happens when states raise taxes on millionaires

Best Education Reporting in Newspaper or Magazine

Emma Court, Shruti Singh, Bloomberg News, It’s hard to keep a college safe from Covid, even with mass testing
Madeleine Parrish, South Side Weekly, North Lawndale teachers and parents tackle school closures head-on
Staff, Crain’s Chicago Business, Crain’s Forum on education

Best Arts Reporting and Criticism

Hannah Edgar, Brianna Wellen, Chicago Reader, The remarkable life of Art Castillo and Moulin Jimmy’s
Leor Galil, Philip Montoro, Chicago Reader, Chicago punk was born queer
Irene Hsiao, Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader, Dancing alone together

Best Sports Story

S. Nicole Lane, Brianna Wellen, Chicago Reader, Bound to the point

Best Photography

John R. Boehm, Zac Osgood, Crain’s Chicago Business, 40 under 40 photos
Joe Lewnard, Glenview Herald, Hockey Shadows
Karie Angell Luc, Glenview Announcements, The Grove in Glenview at Christmas

Best Design

Thomas J. Linden, Crain’s Chicago Business
Jason McGregor, Crain’s Chicago Business
Karen Freese Zane, Crain’s Chicago Business

Best Special News Section

Philip Montoro, Leor Galil and Reader Staff and Freelancers, Chicago Reader, The best Chicago albums of the 2010s
Staff, South Side Weekly, Chicago reacts to the killing of George Floyd

Best Illustration

Alicia Goluszka, The DePaulia
Keith J. Taylor, Chicago Public Square
Grae Rosa, South Side Weekly

General Excellence

Davon Clark, Haley Tweedell, South Side Weekly
Staff, Crain’s Chicago Business

BROADCAST: TELEVISION

Best Spot News Story

Jennifer Lay-Riske, Joe Kolina, Rob Stafford, Allison Rosati, Lexi Sutter, Chris Coffey, Natalie Martinez and Brant Miller, NBC 5 Chicago, WMAQ, Chicago Safety

Best In-depth News Story or Series

Daniel Andries, WTTW, Making sense of 2020
Christian Farr, Doug Webber, Rich Moy, NBCChicago.com and NBC 5 Chicago, WMAQ, Race in Chicago: The Talk
Martha Irvine, Gerald Herbert, The Associated Press, Many Americans ‘worried about their next meal’

Best Investigative Report

Matthieu Fauroux, Yves Schaeffner, Vincent Gobert, France 2, Suppressed Voters
Hilda Gutierrez, Raul Quinones, Carolina Cruz, Katherine Smyser, Lisa Capitanini, WSNS Telemundo Chicago, COVID: Before and after death
Douglas Wolfe, Andy Barker, WAND TV, Unauthorized business

Best On-Camera Talent

Christian Farr, NBCChicago.com and WMAQ TV
Jeremy Ross, WBBM-TV2

Best Feature News Report

Tonya Francisco, Brad Piper, WGN-TV, Policy Kings
Martha Irvine, Bram Janssen, Gillian Flaccus, Paolo Santalucia, Dmitry Vlasov, Themis Hakizimana, The Associated Press, Global pandemic: Through the eyes of children
Roz Varon, Irit Nayden, Casey Klaus, WLS-TV, New Way to Holiday

Best Public Affairs Programming

WTTW News Staff, WTTW, Peace & Justice: a WTTW news special

Best Business or Consumer Reporting

Kane Farabaugh, Voice of America TV, Producing in a Pandemic
Doug Wolfe, Andy Barker, WAND TV, Predatory Loans

Best Health or Science Reporting

Kane Farabaugh, Voice of America TV, High-tech fight against COVID-19
Hilda Gutierrez, Raul Quinones, Luis Figueroa, WSNS Telemundo Chicago, Smelly illegal parking lot

Best News Specialty/Arts/Culture/Entertainment News/Feature or Series

Tonya Francisco, Brad Piper, WGN-TV, Vee Jay records
Roz Varon, Joseph Imbrogno, Sarah Jackson, WLS-TV, Buddy Guy Radio

Best News Specialty/Business/Consumer News Feature or Series

Kane Farabaugh, Voice of America TV, Between Trump and Trade
Roz Varon, James McIntyre, David Knickerbocker, WLS-TV, Chicago Auto Show

Best News Specialty/Crime News

Christian Farr, Mike McGovern, NBCChicago.com and WMAQ TV, Harvey Police Suburban Bus Controversy
Christian Farr, Mike McGovern, NBCChicago.com and WMAQ TV, The Death of Eric Lurry
Christian Farr, Doug Webber, NBCChicago.com and WMAQ TV, Package Thefts

Best News Specialty/Education/Schools News

Roz Varon, Joseph Imbrogno, WLS-TV, Bus driver celebration

Best News Specialty/Health/Science News

Kane Farabaugh, Voice of America TV, 50 years ago, Apollo 13 moon mission became NASA’s ‘successful failure’

Best News Specialty/Human Interest

Nick Blumberg, WTTW / Chicago Tonight, Mini therapy horses take their visits virtual
Karen Jordan, Kevin Dalton, WLS TV, Balloon emergency landing
Douglas Wolfe, Steve Nichols, WAND TV, Justice walk

Best News Specialty/Politics/Government News

Douglas Wolfe, Andy Barker, WAND TV, I-TEAM: Self dealing

Best Video Journalist

Kane Farabaugh, Voice of America TV
Evan Garcia, WTTW

BROADCAST: RADIO

Best Breaking News Story

Staff, WBEZ Chicago, 2020 election results

Best In-depth News Story or Series

John Lippert, Natalie Moore, Better Government Association, WBEZ, Amazon’s massive Chicago-area expansion was fueled by $741 million from taxpayers
Michael Puente, Ariel Van Cleave, WBEZ, Meatpacking workers’ dilemma: Quit job or face COVID-19 risks
Patrick Smith, Rob Wildeboer, WBEZ Chicago, Chicago’s antiviolence workers press on despite pandemic

Best Investigative Reporting

Linda Lutton, Andrew Fan, Alden Loury, Paula Friedrich, Aaron Allen, Cate Cahan, Ashish Valentine, City Bureau and WBEZ, Where banks don’t lend

Best Reporter

Michael Puente, WBEZ
Patrick Smith, WBEZ

Best Feature Reporting

Adriana Cardona-Maguigad, WBEZ, The rise of Chicago teen activists
Michael Puente, Carrie Shepherd, WBEZ, A mostly Latinx city In Northwest Indiana is hit hard by COVID-19
Staff, WBEZ, A most unusual school year

Best Business or Consumer Reporting

Michael Puente, Ariel Van Cleave, WBEZ, How to make your own hand sanitizer? Just ask your neighborhood craft brewery
David Schaper, WBEZ, Boeing’s 737 Max crisis

Best Health or Science Reporting

Reed Pence, Radio Health Journal, Aspects of COVID – A series
Kristen Schorsch, WBEZ, Women have few options for giving birth on the South Side. 2 midwives want to change that
Kristen Schorsch, WBEZ, The pandemic revealed another gap in Chicago health care: Hospitals are on their own to transfer patients

SPECIALTY/TRADE

Best Deadline Report

John Gregory, Theme Park Tribune, COVID-19 suggestions for Orlando theme parks leave gaps in guest, employee safety

Best In-depth Report or Series

Mila Koumpilova, Kiannah Sepeda Miller, Alejandra Cancino, Katie Drews Better Government Association, Chalkbeat Chicago, Chicago public schools’ COVID-19 spending
Tom Polansek, Reuters, Meatpacking and COVID-19

Best Commentary

David Greising, Better Government Association
Mark Walsh, ABA Journal

Best Business or Consumer Reporting

Kim Chipman, Bloomberg News, California water futures begin trading amid fear of scarcity
Jack Farchy, Isis Almeida, Andy Hoffman, Ruben Munsterman, Bloomberg News, Europe’s banks fall out of love with commodity traders
PJ Huffstutter, Reuters, U.S. dairy farmers dump milk as pandemic upends food markets

Best Feature Story or Series

Harris Meyer, ABA Journal, Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes prompt lawsuits and tough questions about who’s responsible
Amanda Robert and Harris meyer, ABA Journal, Law and aging
Staff, ABA Journal, COVID-19 and the legal profession

Best Design

Thomas Gaulkin, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Sara Wadford, ABA Journal

ONLINE

Best Multimedia Feature Presentation

Natalie Castaneda, Martha Irvine, Bram Janssen, Gillian Flaccus, Dmitry Vlasov, The Associated Press staff, Pandemic through kids’ eyes
Bea Malsky, Jared Rutecki, Emily Hoerner, Forest Gregg, Jean Cochrane, Abby Blachman, Better Government Association, Injustice Watch, Chicago Reporter, DataMade, The Circuit
Jason McGregor, Stephen J. Serio, Alex Garcia, John R. Boehm, Bob Secter, Crain’s Chicago Business, Police reform

Best News Web Site

Staff, Block Club Chicago
Staff, Chicago Sun-Times
Staff, Daily Herald

Best Individual Blog Post – Independent

Derrick Clifton, them.us (Conde Nast), Derrick Clifton on race, LGBTQ+ rights and politics
Michele Weldon, USA Today, NBC Think, Ms Magazine, I can’t forget those silver haired ladies on the silver screen, USA Today; COVID-19 has made me rethink much of my life, NBC Think; Power outage? A metaphor for where women stand today,” Ms. Magazine
Cassandra Greer-Lee, Sarah Conway, City Bureau, Coronavirus in jail: The life and loss of Nickolas Lee

Best Individual Blog Post – Affiliated

Logan Jaffe, ProPublica Illinois, A sundown town sees its first Black Lives Matter protest
Ishena Robinson, The Root, Black leaders, We need you to tell the full story when talking about Black crime and Black humanity
Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica Illinois, The stolen childhood of teenage factory workers

Best Continuing Blog – Independent

Derrick Clifton, NBC News THINK, Derrick Clifton on entertainment and online culture
Charlie Meyerson, Keith J. Taylor, Chicago Public Square, An army of officers; Shop safely; Pritzker vs Trump kind of hell
Stan Zoller, Buffalo Grove News and Information, Resident faces multiple charges; Irate customer a challenge for employees; Woman scammed after caller spoofs

Best Continuing Blog – Affiliated

Mark Konkol, Patch.com, Emails, secret report show politics of science guiding Pritzker; More than a protest: Chicagoans fight city’s knee on their necks/How to talk to your stubborn parents about coronavirus precaution
Staff, Chicago Sun-Times, Homicide watch

Best Email Newsletter

Lisa Donovan, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune’s The Spin with Lisa Donovan newsletter
Staff, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Sun-Times coronavirus newsletter
Staff, Chicago Sun-Times, Morning Edition, Chicago Sun-Times

Best Deadline Reporting

Colin Boyle, Grace Del Vecchio, Block Club Chicago, Protesters try to tear down Columbus statue in Chicago as clashes between police, activists turn violent
Mauricio Pena, Block Club Chicago, Planned explosion covered Little Village in dust during respiratory pandemic. Why did the city let it happen?
John Pletz, Crain’s Chicago Business, DoorDash imposes $1.50 ‘Chicago fee’ on customers

Best Non-deadline Reporting

Sandy Bergo, Chuck Neubauer, Better Government Association, Chicago Sun-Times, Top legislators blowing past limits in Illinois campaign finance reform law
Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica Illinois, co-published with Detroit Free Press, Bridge Michigan and Bridge Detroit, A teenager didn’t do her online schoolwork so a judge sent her to juvenile detention
Georgia Gee, Derek Kravitz, Sky Chadde, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, Confidential coronavirus outbreak data shows undisclosed incidents at prisons, workplaces, schools, meatpacking plants across Illinois

Best Series — Non-deadline Reporting

Alexandra Arriaga, Lynda Lopez, Paco Alvarez, Linghua (Lily) Qi, Pat Sier, City Bureau, South Side Weekly, Block Club Chicago, Immigrant communities and the Illinois Tax Amendment
Jodi S. Cohen, Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica Illinois, co-published with Detroit Free Press, Bridge Michigan and Bridge Detroit, Grace: A failure in Michigan’s juvenile justice system
Casey Toner, Jared Rutecki, Emily Hoerner, Bea Malsky, Forest Gregg, Abby Blachman, Better Government Association, Injustice Watch, Chicago Reporter, DataMade, The Circuit

Best Breaking News Story

Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Maxwell Evans, Block Club Chicago, Police shot a Black man In Englewood. Then misinformation spread like wildfire
Mauricio Pena, Block Club Chicago, Demolition disaster leaves neighborhood covered in dust during respiratory pandemic
Tom Schuba, Rachel Hinton, Ashlee Rezin Garcia, Jake Wittich, Brian Ernst, Brian Rich, Chicago Sun-Times, Customers turned away as recreational weed sales wrap up historic first day in Illinois

Best Neighborhood/Community News

Jonathan DePaolis, Richard Free Press, Breaking: Mokena officials approve retirement agreement with police chief
John Ferak, Joliet Patch.com
Larry Gavin, Mary Gavin, Victoria Scott, Robert Seidenberg, Heidi Randhava, Karen Young, Evanston RoundTable, Evanston RoundTable Community News Online

Best Business or Consumer Reporting

John Lippert, Natalie Moore, Better Government Association, WBEZ, Amazon’s massive Chicago-area expansion fueled by $741 million from taxpayers
Alex Ruppenthal, Better Government Association, State lax in enforcing law meant to track, support minority-owned businesses
Staff, Block Club Chicago, Coronavirus closing businesses in Chicago’s neighborhoods

Best Feature Story or Series

Staff, ProPublica Illinois, COVID-19 took Black lives first. It didn’t have to.
Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica Illinois, Inside the lives of immigrant teens working dangerous night shifts in suburban factories
Neil Steinberg, Ashlee Rezin Garcia, Chicago Sun-Times, Our worst day

Best Food Coverage

Hannah Alani, Mina Bloom, Block Club Chicago, Abuse in Chicago’s restaurant industry
Pascal Sabino, Block Club Chicago, Who owns mild sauce? White Chef bottles Chicago’s great Black invention
Mike Sula, Karen Hawkins, Chicago Reader, Mike Sula on Chicago’s restaurant scene & pandemic pivots

Best Music Coverage

Caroline Hurley, Chicago Sun-Times, When pandemic hit, a Chicago jazz icon’s world fell apart. Friends helped put it together again.
Evan F. Moore, Chicago Sun-Times, Dark cloud follows Chicago’s drill scene
Staff, Block Club Chicago, Coronavirus hurting Chicago’s indie music venues

Best Theater Coverage

Sheri Flanders, Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader, Black artistic leaders take charge at several Chicago theaters
Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader, The founder of Pride Films and Plays is gone. What happened? What’s next?

Best Literary Coverage

Lee Rawles, ABA Journal, Modern Law Library podcast

Best Investigative/Public Service Reporting

Matt Chapman, Matt Harvey, The TRiiBE, Hundreds of Chicago police made arrests without body cameras during 2020 uprisings
Johnathan Hettinger, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, ‘Buy it or else’: Inside Monsanto and BASF’s moves to force dicamba on farmers
Casey Toner, Jared Rutecki, Emily Hoerner, Bea Malsky, Forest Gregg, Abby Blachman, Better Government Association, Injustice Watch, Chicago Reporter, DataMade, The Circuit

Best Use of News Video

Allen Breed, Robert Bumsted, Martha Irvine, Jake Seiner, Stacey Plaisance, Ron Harris, Mike Householder, The Associated Press, Voices of protest: Desperation, Rage, Hope
Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune, Lockdown empties Chicago parks and streets
Brian Ernst, Ashlee Rezin Garcia, Brian Rich, Tom Schuba, Rachel Hinton, Chicago Sun-Times, Experience Illinois’ first day of legal recreational pot in under 3 minutes

Best Use of Features Video

Brian Ernst, Ashlee Rezin Garcia, Brian Rich, Chicago Sun-Times, How to buy legal weed like a pro
Martha Irvine, Bram Janssen, Gillian Flaccus, Dmitry Vlasov, Paolo Santalucia, The Associated Press Staff, The Associated Press, Virus journals: Anxiety, loneliness, hope
Jeremy Ross, Alfredo Roman, YouTube, Africa’s Art

Best Use of Digital Technology

Bea Malsky, South Side Weekly, COVID-19 tracker of Chicago deaths by neighborhood
Staff, City Bureau, COVID resource finder
Staffs, The TRiiBE and South Side Weekly, The people rose up: a Black summer 2020 timeline

Best Start-Up

Joe Coughlin, Megan Bernard, Martin Carlino, The Record North Shore

General Excellence in Online Journalism

Staff, Better Government Association
Staff, Chicago Sun-Times
Staff, Crain’s Chicago Business

Best Photo

Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune, Faces on the front lines of the pandemic
Darius Griffin, Alexander Gouletas, The TRiiBE, Photos of the 2020 summer uprisings
Karie Angell Luc, Northbrook Star Pioneer Press, Northbrook man runs 62 miles over 14 hours in effort to raise money for students in Belize: ‘I was taking it one step at a time’

Best New Podcast

Jesse Betend, Rivet and StreetWise, Where I Stay
Staff, The Invisible Institute, The Intercept, Topic Studios and iHeartRadio, Somebody
Rick Telander, Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Six-Times

Best Podcast

Jesse Betend, Rivet and StreetWise, Where I Stay
Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun-Times, The Fran Spielman Show
Staff, The Invisible Institute, The Intercept, Topic Studios and iHeartRadio, Somebody

Best Podcast Single Episode

Jesse Betend, Rivet and StreetWise, Where I Stay, Episode 1
Staff, The Invisible Institute, The Intercept, Topic Studios and iHeartRadio, Somebody, Episode 3: The police
Odette Yousef, Colin McNulty, WBEZ Chicago, Motive, Season 3, Episode 6: The new Nazis

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