The Chicago Journalists Association (CJA) is excited to announce the finalists for its 2025 Sarah Brown Boyden Awards. This year’s contest once again saw fantastic submissions. The Sarah Brown Boyden Awards honor the best of the best journalism in Chicago and Northwest Indiana across 19 different categories. 

The winners will be announced at CJA’s 86th Anniversary Awards Ceremony on Friday, November 14, 6:30-9:30 p.m., in Ruggles Hall of the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago.

To get tickets, visit Eventbrite. Congratulations to all of our finalists!

Finalists for the 2025 Sarah Brown Boyden Awards

ARTS

• Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis, WBEZ Chicago/Chicago Sun-Times
  • “Phones, vaping, loud talking: Is there no concert etiquette anymore?”

• Michael Liptrot, Block Club Chicago
  • “After Seeing West Side Kids Miss Out On Art Opportunities, Teacher Launches Gallery For Their Work”

• Joseph Pete, The Times of Northwest Indiana
  • “Crazy Indiana Style Artists, one of Midwest’s longest-running graffiti crews, reunites to paint Union Station murals”

BEST SERIES

• Kelly Bauer, Block Club Chicago
  • “The Flashy Fugitives: Ex-Loretto Leader And Pal Accused Of Stealing Millions Are Living Large In Dubai”
  • “Ex-Loretto Hospital Exec Stole $300 Million Through COVID Testing Scams: Prosecutors”
  • “Another Person Connected To Loretto Hospital Charged In $200 Million COVID Test Scheme”

• Staff, Chicago Tribune
  • “Our culture of corruption” 
  • “Chicago never ready for reform”
  • “The road to reform”

• Stephanie Zimmermann and Frank Main, Chicago Sun-Times
  • “Failure to treat, failure to protect: For accused mentally ill killers and their victims in Chicago, help is too little, too late”
  • “Family still grieves for grad student prosecutors say was killed by a man ‘terrorizing downtown’ Chicago”
  • “Unprovoked killings in downtown Chicago show a need for more mental health resources”

BREAKING NEWS

• Francia Garcia Hernandez, Block Club Chicago
  • “ICE Mass Arrests Spark Chaos in South Loop As Activists Fight to Disrupt Operation”

• Jason Meisner, Megan Crepeau and Ray Long, Chicago Tribune
  • “Did you ever trade your public office for private gain? Ex-Speaker Madigan testifies in his own defense.”
  • “Ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan sentenced to prison”
  • “A tale of two Mike Madigans”

• Staff, Chicago Tribune
  • “Robert Prevost was ‘the pride and joy of every priest and nun’ at St. Mary’s on Chicago’s South Side”
  • “How the new Pope Leo XIV’s childhood church in Chicago fell into disrepair – and what may lie ahead”
  • “Pope Leo XIV’s family: What to know about his parents and their deep Chicago ties”

BUSINESS

• Jasmine Barnes, South Side Weekly
  • “The Rink Celebrates 50 Years ‘As a Powerhouse in the Community’”

• Mack Liederman, Block Club Chicago
  • “Uber Overcharged Riders Nearly $1.8 Million in Congestion Fees, City Records Show”
  • “Uber Wrongfully Charged Riders Downtown Congestion Fee for Months”
  • “City Opens Investigation Into Uber Overcharging Riders”

• Stephanie Zimmermann, Chicago Sun-Times
  • “Illinois’ most complained about car insurance companies and how consumers can protect themselves”
  • “Non-standard auto insurers have higher rates of complaints than bigger name insurers”

COLLABORATIONS

• Farrah Anderson, Sam Stecklow and Dean Olsen, Invisible Institute, IPM News and Illinois Times
  • “Sangamon County sheriff defends hiring of Sean Grayson”
  • “Before killing Sonya Massey, Sean Grayson had a case thrown out after bringing charges with no evidence. Departments kept hiring him.”
  • “Former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, who killed Sonya Massey, was previously accused of misconduct”

• Frank Main, Elvia Malagón, Erica Thompson, Josh Katz, Margot Sanger-Katz, Nick Thieme, Chicago Sun-Times, The New York Times, The Baltimore Banner
  • “Opioids have been killing the same generation of Black me for generations”
  • “How drug overdose deaths have plagued one generation of Black men nationally for generations”
  • “NYT: How drug overdose deaths have plagued one generation of Black men”

• Staff, Block Club Chicago, Chicago Public Media and Chalkbeat Chicago
  • “Chicago School Board Voter Guide”
  • “Chicago School Board Elections 2024: Here’s Everything You Need to Know”
  • Q&A Forums With the District Candidates

COMMENTARY

• Rummana Hussain, Chicago Sun-Times
  • “Shah Rukh Khan Met Gala diss wasn’t his worst encounter with Americans”
  • “This parody MAGA hat is just one sign of Muslim humor on the rise”
  • “Images by Palestinians photojournalist killed in Israeli airstrike enter the picture in Chicago”

• Alden Loury, Chicago Sun-Times
  • “Racist trolls don’t skip a beat after a violent July Fourth weekend”
  • “A trip to the ER got me to reboot my life”
  • “What it means when movie theaters in Black neighborhoods close”

• Laura Washington, for Chicago Tribune
  • “Women of color in politics are perennial targets”
  • “Donald Trump tried to court the Black vote in Chicago. He doesn’t deserve it.”
  • “Hair shaming is a painful part of Black history”

EDUCATION

• Nader Issa, Chicago Sun-Times and Sarah Karp, WBEZ Chicago
  • “A Black girl endured racist bullying in a mostly white Chicago school. Did CPS do enough”

• Sarah Karp, WBEZ Chicago and Mila Koumpilova, Chalkbeat Chicago
  • “Why are Chicago high schoolers missing so much school?”
  • “Some Chicago high schools stopped giving zeros. But with absenteeism up, teachers pushed back”

• Mila Koumpilova, Chalkbeat Chicago and Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica
  • “Chicago’s nearly empty schools cost a lot, offer little for students”
  • “Chicago Public Schools face low enrollment, soaring costs”

FEATURES

• Jim Daley, South Side Weekly and Illinois Answers Project
  • “Jobs. Block Clubs. Investment. How Chicagoans are interrupting violence at its roots.”

• Quinn Myers, Block Club Chicago
  • “Father of slain teen, Caleb Westbrooks, writes children’s book to honor him and process immense grief”

• Amy Yee, Chicago Sun-Times
  • “A Chicago native quit work and moved out of state to care for her aging parent. She’s not alone.”
  • “Caring for a family member? New Illinois law gives workers protections from employer discrimination”

HEALTH/SCIENCE

• Judith Crown, Crain’s Chicago Business
  • “Medicaid funding cuts could Illinois hard”

• Catherine Gianaro, for Chicago Health Magazine
  • “Privacy vs. Public Health”

• Stephanie Zimmermann and Frank Main, Chicago Sun-Times
  • “Failure to treat. Failure to protect.”
  • “Family still grieves for grad student prosecutors say was killed by a man ‘terrorizing downtown’ Chicago”
  • “Unprovoked killings in downtown Chicago show a need for more mental health resources”

IMMIGRATION

• Alma Campos, José Abonce and Jacqueline Serrato, South Side Weekly
  • “Where do people go after ICE arrests them?”
  • “No warrant. No warning.”
  • “Mobilizing to defend Chicago communities from ICE”

• Nell Salzman, Armando Sanchez and Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune
  • “In rush to move migrants into housing, state program paid out hundreds or thousands for apartments that were unlivable and unlived in”
  • “Two years after migrants began to arrive, many have settled in Chicago even as some continue to struggle”
  • “Chicago migrants fear violence, deportation”

• Madison Savedra, Francia Garcia Hernandez, Ariel Parrella-Aureli, Mina Bloom, Colin Boyle, Block Club Chicago
  • “As Chicago Targeted by ICE, City Council’s Immigration Committee Hasn’t Met in 8 Months”
  • “The Never-Ending Line: Migrants Wait for Benefits That Never Come”
  • “Trump Wants to Deport Them. Chicago is Scaling Back Help Meet the Migrants Stuck in Limbo”

INNOVATIVE STORYTELLING

• Binghui Huang, Meredith Newman, Madison Hopkins,  Jim Daley, Alex Nitkin, Claire Murphy, Laura Stewart and Cesar Calderon, Illinois Answers Project and South Side Weekly
  • “Making it in Chicago”

• Jason McGregor, Crain’s Chicago Business
  • “CPS needs $1 billion. Where will it find the funds?”
  • “Medicaid funding cuts could hit Illinois hard”
  • “Quantum computing park promises big changes to Southeast Side”

• Josh Neufeld, The Journalist’s Resource and Chicago Sun-Times
  • “Comic illustrates real-life fight on Chicago’s West Side to lower blood pressure, save Black lives”

INVESTIGATIONS

• Alejandra Cancino and Maya Dukmasova, Injustice Watch
  • “Rising rents, unlivable apartments leave tenants desperate, confused and often helpless”
  • “Tenants’ right to withhold rent becomes landlords’ weapon”
  • “Project Tenant Trap”

• Sidnee King Pineda, Illinois Answers Project
  • “Under Crime-Free Housing Laws, Families may be evicted for minor offenses”

• Stephanie Zimmermann and Frank Main, Chicago Sun-Times
  • “Failure to treat. Failure to protect.” 
  • “Family still grieves for grad student prosecutors say was killed by man “terrorizing downtown” Chicago
  • “Unprovoked killings in downtown Chicago show a need for more mental health resources”

NEWS/SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

• Karie Angell Luc, for Chicago Tribune
  • “Visitors brave the heat as Lake County Fair opens”

• Sebastián Hidalgo, Block Club Chicago
  • “ICE mass arrests spark chaos in South Loop as activists fight to disrupt operation”

• Marc Monaghan, Hyde Park Herald
  • “Young Cowboy Mounts Comeback at Broken Arrow Rodeo”

POLITICS

• Ray Long, Dan Petrella, Addison Wright, Rick Pearson and Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune
  • “Illinois Senate President Don Harmon improperly accepted $4 million in campaign cash”
  • “Gov. JB Pritzker, lawmakers moving sluggishly on Illinois ethics law reforms despite uptick in convictions”
  • “Ethics legislation stalls in Springfield as Senate president tries brazen move that would have helped his election case”

• Madison Savedra, Francia Garcia Hernandez, Ariel Parrella-Aureli, Mina Bloom, Colin Boyle, Block Club Chicago
  • “As Chicago Targeted by ICE, City Council’s Immigration Committee Hasn’t Met in 8 Months”
  • “The Never-Ending Line: Migrants Wait for Benefits That Never Come”
  • “Trump Wants to Deport Them. Chicago is Scaling Back Help Meet the Migrants Stuck in Limbo”

• Staff, Chicago Tribune
  • “Our culture of corruption”
  • “Chicago never ready for reform” 
  • “The road to reform”

PUBLIC SERVICE

• Nell Salzman, Armando Sanchez and Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune
  • “In rush to move migrants into housing, state program paid out hundreds or thousands for apartments that were unlivable and unlived in”
  • “Two years after migrants began to arrive, many have settled in Chicago even as some continue to struggle”
  • “Chicago migrants fear violence, deportation”

• Staff at Block Club Chicago, Chicago Public Media and Chalkbeat Chicago
  • “Chicago School Board Voter Guide”
  • “Chicago School Board Elections 2024: Here’s Everything You Need to Know”
  • Q&A Forums With the District Candidates

• Sam Stecklow, Invisible Institute and Max Blaisdell, the Chicago Reader
  • “More than 100 cops who lied missing from Cook County’s Brady list”
  • “What is the Chicago Police Department’s ‘you lie, you die’ rule”
  • “Cook County State’s Attorney stops maintaining lists of discredited cops”

SPORTS

• Steve Greenberg, Chicago Sun-Times
  • “The true story behind rookie TE Colston Loveland”

• Mack Liederman, Block Club Chicago
  • “Skyway Lanes, Chicago’s last Black-owned bowling alley, needs your help”
  • “Skyway Lanes will stay open after Chicagoans step up to save city’s last black-owned bowling alley”
  • “Timber Lanes bought by longtime bowler in deal to keep historic North Side alley open”

• Stacy St. Clair, Chicago Tribune and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica
  • “In an era of big money, University of Illinois shrugs off rules on athletes’ NIL deals”

STUDENT JOURNALISM

• Madison Holcomb, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • “Undermined from the start: A look at the early challenges faced by Champaign’s police civilian review board”
  • “Champaign’s police review board aims to improve policing, but some fear it lacks power to make change”

TECHNOLOGY

• Max Blaisdell, Ethan Corey and Jim Daley, South Side Weekly and Type Investigations
  • “ShotSpotter routinely missed reported shootings, city data shows”

• Madison Hopkins, Illinois Answers Project and Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune
  • “Many problems. Little focus. Blurry results.”

• Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune
  • “Bionic breast to restore touch in cancer patients”
  • “Fertility fraud lawsuit illustrates challenges”

TRANSPORTATION

• Frank Main and Tom Schuba, Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ Chicago
  • “Chicago’s kid carjackers: Inside the SRT Boys’ yearslong crime spree”

• Manny Ramos, Block Club Chicago
  • “CTA boss spent more time traveling the world than visiting Chicago Transit stations, schedule shows”
  • “CTA’s new gun AI gun-detection program shrouded in secrecy”
  • “CTA boss retires after years of mounting pressure over struggling transit service”

• Reema Saleh, for the Chicago Reader
  • “Why haven’t riders returned to the westbound Blue Line?”
  • “The plan to merge the CTA, Pace and Metra”