CJA annually issues several prestigious journalism awards that draw the best the industry has to offer, in entries from journalists across the Chicago metropolitan region and Northwest Indiana. Read more about each of them in the respective tabs.
The Dorothy Storck Award
Established by Storck’s family and her partner in 2017, the $1,000 award is named for the late syndicated newspaper columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winner who passed in 2015. She began her journalism career at the Chicago American, which later became known as Chicago Today, and ended her career at the Philadelphia Inquirer. She was also a U.S. Air Force squadron commander who held the rank of major before becoming a journalist.
Through 2022, the award recognized a Chicago area print, broadcast or digital columnist sharing Storck’s dedication, impact and commitment to craft. To combat the downsizing and constriction of the news industry, including columnists, the Chicago Journalists Association revised the contest in 2023 to honor the best work produced by a woman, trans, femme or nonbinary (WTFNB) journalist in the Chicago area. The new focus further highlights Storck as a trailblazer, serving as a U.S. Air Force squadron commander and holding the rank of major before becoming a journalist.
Some of our recent recipients include Nell Salzman (Chicago Tribune) and Duaa Eldeib (ProPublica).
The Sarah Brown Boyden Awards
The Sarah Brown Boyden Awards recognize the year’s best journalism in nearly 20 different categories — from arts, education and investigations to photography, public service, sports and everything in between. The best of the best among all categories takes home a $500 prize. Boyden was a pioneering journalist who attended Northwestern University in the 1920s and later made her mark at the Chicago Evening American, Chicago Daily News and Chicago Sun. She died in 1989 at age 86. Her family established this fund in her honor.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Chicago Journalists Association annually honors a local, distinguished journalist who has dedicated years of service to the industry. Some of our recent honorees include Mary Mitchell (formerly Chicago Sun-Times), Curtis Lawrence (formerly Block Club Chicago), Jim Rose (formerly ABC 7 Chicago), Tracy Baim (Chicago Reader), Dorothy Tucker (CBS 2 Chicago), David Jackson (Better Government Association), Cheryl Burton (ABC 7 Chicago), Michael Sneed (Chicago Sun-Times), Bruce Dold (Chicago Tribune) and financial columnist Terry Savage.
Chicago Journalist of the Year
The Chicago Journalists Association bestows this special honor to a local journalist who has produced exemplary work in the past year. Some of our recent recipients include Mike Lowe (WGN TV), Kelly Bauer (Block Club Chicago), the late Sharon Cohen (Associated Press) and Greg Hinz (Crain’s Chicago Business).
In 2022 and 2023, we adapted this award and presented an Emerging Journalist of the Year Award to Kelly Garcia (formerly Chicago Reader) and a Breakout Journalist of the Year Award to The TRiiBE’s Tonia Hill, respectively. In 2017, we presented a Comeback of the Year Award to NBC Chicago’s Rob Stafford in place of Chicago Journalist of the Year.