The Red Line Project has won more than 65 national, regional and local awards over the past decade. Here’s a breakdown of the awards over the years.
2021 SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards
The Red Line Project has four finalists in the SPJ Region 5 Mark of Excellence awards. Winners will be announced on April 9. Winners advance to the national competition against 11 other regional winners. Region 5 covers Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky:
- WINNER: Data Visualization: Laaiba Mahmood, COVID-19 in Illinois: State ranks sixth nationally in vaccination doses administered
- FINALIST: Data Visualization: Sarita Cavazos, Affordable housing sees increase in funds – Where will it go?
- FINALIST: General News Reporting: Jaylene Rodriguez, Data show disparities in Chicago vaccine distribution
- FINALIST: Best Use of Multimedia: Ewa Lapczynska, Grace Lysell, Sarita Cavazos, Laaiba Mahmood and Jaylene Rodriguez, Guiding principles and policies
2021 Editor & Publisher EPPY Awards
The Red Line Project finished runner-up in the Best College Community/Niche site for the second consecutive year.
2020 Mark of Excellence Awards
UIC seniors Kate Perschke and Nicole Sroka finished first in their respective categories at the SPJ Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards announced on Saturday and will advance to the national competition.
Perschke finished first in the multimedia division with her analysis of young voter turnout for the 2020 election. She also was a finalist in the data visualization category for her presidential campaign finance story heading into the election.
Sroka won in the online news reporting category for her data analysis on Chicago homicide rates surging during the pandemic. Sroka also was a regional winner and national SPJ finalist last year for her multimedia news reporting.
The UIC stories were written and produced in Mike Reilley’s UIC Advanced Data Journalism (COMM 394), Data Journalism (COMM 240) and Digital Journalism (COMM 216) classes. Region 5 covers universities in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.
A list of all the winners and finalists (top three) from UIC, which won the second-most awards of any school in the Online/Data Visualization/Multimedia categories:
Online News Reporting
Winner: Nicole Sroka, “Chicago homicide rates surging during pandemic,” The Red Line Project, University of Illinois at Chicago
Finalist: Laaiba Mahmood and Hajra Qaiser, “Complaints against Chicago police rise as protesters seek accountability,” The Red Line Project, University of Illinois at Chicago
Best Use of Multimedia
Winner: Kate Perschke, “Election 2020: Young voters turn out in historic numbers,” The Red Line Project, University of Illinois at Chicago
Finalist: Myra Leon, Jose Vidales, Itzel Elizarraraz, “Why is Chicago’s lakefront washing away?” The Red Line Project, University of Illinois at Chicago
Data Visualization
Finalist: Kate Perschke, “Campaign finance: How are Biden and Trump fundraising and spending 10 days before the election,” The Red Line Project, University of Illinois at Chicago
Online Sports Reporting
Finalist: Chris Katsaros and Charles Tharpe, “How the Big Ten Conference fumbled the pandemic,” The Red Line Project, University of Illinois at Chicago
Online In-Depth Reporting
Finalist: Staff, “Outbreak: COVID-19 in Chicago” The Red Line Project, University of Illinois at Chicago
COVID-19: Newspaper, Magazine and Online Coverage (large, 10,000+ students)
Finalist: Staff, “Outbreak: COVID-19 in Chicago” The Red Line Project, University of Illinois at Chicago
2020 Collegiate Coronavirus Coverage Awards
The Red Line Project’s Outbreak: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Coverage in Chicago project won honorable mention in the Collegiate Covering Coronavirus awards in May. The competition is run by the Associated Collegiate Press, College Broadcasters Inc., Society of Professional Journalists and Society for News Design, among others.
What the judges said: Our lead judge, who’s a masochist and has been one of our trio of judges since the beginning, called this “the best data presentation we have seen.” He added, “It’s extraordinary the way the data is presented.” What impressed other judges was the multitude of ways that data was presented: animations, charts, maps, and infographics, all punctuated with multi-sourced reporting.
“The coverage was very good, but the data visualization was what made this entry shine,” they concluded.
2019 SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards
A Red Line Project story analyzing Chicago’s homicide rate written by UIC student journalists Nicole Sroka and Miriam Torres finished runner-up in the Best Use of Multimedia category in the Society of Professional Journalists 2019 National Mark of Excellence Awards.
The award was announced in May 2020 along with national winners and finalists in several college categories from 12 SPJ regional winners around the country. The UIC stories were written and produced in Mike Reilley’s UIC Data Journalism (COMM 240) and Digital Journalism (COMM 216) classes.
The homicides story, published in the local news site The Red Line Project, was one of three UIC projects to win categories at the SPJ Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards in April 2020. Region 5 covers schools in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.
The winning regional entries:
REGION 5 FIRST PLACE
Nicole Sroka and Miriam Torres – Best use of multimedia (Chicago Homicides Analysis, Digital Journalism, UIC COMM 216, spring 2019)
Sharon Delavega and Brenden Miranda – Online news reporting (Chicago’s Pothole Problem, Data Journalism, COMM 240, spring 2019)
Abi Carlson and Alex Fashandi – Immersion Journalism (UIC TA Strike, Digital Journalism, COMM 216, spring 2019)
REGION 5 FINALISTS:
Michael Gyang and Brody Ford – Online feature reporting (Rethinking Chicago’s Pedway, Digital Journalism, COMM 216, spring 2019)
Kelsi Morefield, Michael Gyang, Alex Fashandi, Nicole Sroka and Paulina Carrillo — Data Visualization (Cook County on Forefront of Opioid Crisis, Data Journalism, COMM 240, fall 2019)
2014 Peter Lisagor Awards
DePaul student work on The Red Line Project won a
prestigious Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism at
a May 8 ceremony at the Union League Club. The site was nominated twice, competing in the professional journalism categories. The winning entries:
- WINNER: Best Neighborhood/Community News Site: (Staff of The Red Line Project)
- FINALIST: Best Multimedia Collaboration: Chris Coffey and DePaul Students, NBC5 Investigates/The Red Line Project “City lagging in broken sidewalk repairs”
2014 SPJ Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards
The Red Line Project won two categories and was a finalist in four others at the SPJ Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards. Region 5 covers schools in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.
- WINNER: Best Digital-Only Publication: The Red Line Project
- WINNER: Best Use of Multimedia: Cody Voga, David Gubala, Andrew Rodriguez, Juan Latapi and Matt Anderson for World Cup 2014 Preview
- FINALIST: Best Independent Online Student Publication: Staff, Data/Chicago
- FINALIST: Online Feature Reporting: Brianna Kelly for The New Drag Queens of Boystown
- FINALIST: Online Sports Reporting: Staff, Chicago Sidelines
- FINALIST: Online Sports Reporting: Cody Voga, David Gubala, Andrew Rodriguez, Juan Latapi and Matt Anderson for World Cup 2014 Preview
2014 ACP Pacemaker Awards
The Red Line Project won a 2014 Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker Award Nov. 1 at the ACP national convention in Philadelphia. The award honors the best in collegiate journalism, and it was the third consecutive year that Red Line received the award.
2014 AEJMC Awards
The Red Line Project picked up two awards at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference in Montreal in August.
- The site placed second in the AEJMC Visual Communication Division “Best of the Web” design competition for its responsive redesign for mobile users.
- Journalism senior Scott Sutton was first in AEJMC’s multimedia newswriting competition. AEJMC will honor Sutton at the organization’s 2014 conference Aug. 7 in Montreal. Sutton will receive a certificate of recognition and $100 for his winning entry.
Sutton’s story, titled “4/15: Running Toward Recovery,” was a multimedia profile of Chicago runners who were at the 2013 Boston Marathon during the terrorist attacks. His story was produced in Mike Reilley’s Online Sports Reporting class in the Spring 2013 quarter and appeared on The Red Line Project website.
2013 SPJ National and Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards
The Red Line Project won seven SPJ Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards, including four first-place finishes, at an April 12 ceremony in Chicago. Region 5 covers schools in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. Red Line also was a national finalist in three categories:
- First place: Best Digital Student Publication: The Red Line Project * National finalist (top three)
- First place: Best Use of Multimedia: Searchable Crime Maps, Clayton Guse and Andrew Rodriguez
- First place: Online News Reporting: School’s Out: CPS Closes 50 Schools, Joe Ruppel, Josclynn Brandon * National finalist (top three)
- First place: Online Sports Reporting: Chicago Marathon coverage, Chicago Sidelines/The Red Line Project staff * National finalist (top three)
- Finalist: Online In-Depth Coverage: Out of Control, Chicago’s Gun Violence Problem, The Red Line Project staff
- Finalist: Best Use of Multimedia: The Chicago Stumbler Tumblr, Lindsey Murphy and staff
- Finalist: Online Feature Reporting: The Thin Red Line: Shutdown of the Red Line South Branch, The Red Line Project staff
2013 AEJMC Division Awards
The Red Line Project won four awards in three divisions at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication convention Aug. 7-11 in Washington D.C.
- First place: Clayton Guse, Gun Violence in Chicago in the International Division Student Newswriting Competition.
- Third place: Joe Ruppel, Trumbull on CPS Hit List in the International Division Student Newswriting Competition.
- Third place: Red Line Project design in the Visual Communication Division “Best of the Web” competition.
- Third place: Instructor Mike Reilley in the Newspaper and Online News Division “Teaching News in the 21st Century” competition.
Reilley also presented the site at the Newspaper and Online News, and Visual Communication Division meetings.
2013 SPJ National and Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards
Posted: May 1, 2013
The Red Line Project’s Election 2012 coverage won the SPJ National Mark of Excellence award for best online news reporting. It was DePaul University’s first national
SPJ reporting award.
Twenty-five graduate and undergraduate students worked on the project, which included coverage of President Obama’s acceptance speech, key congressional races, voting trends, maps, a voter’s guide, live blog and a feature story on homeless voters.
The site also won five SPJ Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards — including two first-place finishes — on April 27 at a ceremony in St. Louis:
- First Place: Online News Reporting (Election Night Coverage)
- First Place: Online In-Depth Coverage (Election Night Preview/Voter’s Guide)
- Second Place: Best Affiliated Website (Red Line Project)
- Third Place: Online In-Depth Coverage (NATO Summit Preview Guide)
- Third Place: Online Sports Reporting (Chicago Sidelines/The Red Line Project Staff)
2013 Horizon Interactive Award Bronze Winner
Updated: Monday, April 15, 2012
The Red Line Project won a bronze award at the 11th annual
Horizon Interactive Awards. The site placed second in the best college/university media website category. The site won a silver award the previous year.
2012 ONA Online Journalism Awards
Updated: Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012
The Red Line Line Project’s coverage of the 2012 NATO summit
won at the Online News Association’s Online Journalism Awards
Sept. 22 at the ONA national conference in San Francisco. The entry was in the Student News and Online Commentary category. [List of winners]
2012 Chicago Lisagor Awards
Updated: Friday, May 4, 2012
DePaul student work on The Red Line Project won three
prestigious Peter Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism at
a May 4 ceremony at the Union League Club.
The site was a finalist in four categories and took home three Lisagors, competing in the professional journalism categories. The winning entries:
- Best Start-up Publication (Staff of The Red Line Project)
- Best Online Feature Story: “10 Remember 9/11” 10th Anniversary of Sept. 11 (Staff of The Red Line Project)
- Best Online Business Story: “Business Ties: Small Business Near Chicago’s Red Line El Stops” (Alaina Africano, Katie Karpowicz, James Mazurek and Sarah Vonnegut-Gabovitch)
The Lisagors, awarded by the Chicago Headline Club, were established in1977 to inspire Chicago-area journalists to follow his outstanding example and to recognize truly superior contributions to journalism. The awards are named for Peter Lisagor, The Chicago Daily News’ Washington bureau chief from 1959 to 1976, who was one of the nation’s most respected and well-known journalists.
2012 SPJ Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards
Posted: Saturday, April 14, 2012
The Red Line Project won seven SPJ Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards — including two first-place finishes — April 14 at a ceremony in Indianapolis. Winners will move on to compete at the national Mark of Excellence Awards against winners from 11 other regions.
The results:
- First place: Online News Reporting:Blizzard 2011 Coverage (The Staff of the Red Line Project)
- First place: Online Opinion Writing: Sports Journalism in a Digital World, Sam Kraft
- Second place: Best Independent Student Website: The Red Line Project
- Second place: Online News Reporting: Chicago Mayoral Inauguration: AnnCatherine Brady, Bree Tuch and Blythe Meyer
- Second place: Online In-Depth Reporting: 10 Remember 9/11, The Staff of the Red Line Project
- Third place: Online Feature Reporting: Firefighter Steve Serb (10 Remember 9/11), Holly Pennebaker
- Third place: Online Sports Reporting: Chicago’s Young Athletes Deal With Life in the Limelight, Lauren Klopmeyer and Alex Soulier
2011 Editor & Publisher EPPY Awards
The Red Line Project’s Chicago Sidelines section won first-place in the 2011 Editor & Publisher EPPY Awards Best College/University Sports Website category. The Chicago Sidelines site was created by DePaul University’s first Online Sports Reporting class in Spring Quarter 2011.
The Red Line Project also was an EPPY finalist for Best College/University Journalism Site and Best College/University Online Documentary (10 Remember 9/11).
View all of the EPPY winners.
2011 SPJ Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards
Posted: April 3, 2011
The Red Line Project and its sibling site, ChicagoStorytelling, won four SPJ Region 5 Mark of Excellence Awards on April 2 at the SPJ Super Regional in Erlanger, Ky. Region 5 covers universities and colleges in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.
The sites won awards for:
- Best Independent Online Student Publication: The Red Line Project, third place
- Online Feature Reporting: Pilsen’s San Jose Obrero Mission (ChicagoStorytelling’s Fatimah Salami and Amber Tweedie), third place
- Online Depth Reporting: Cob Connection in Chicago Storytelling/GapersBlock (Lora Swarts and Ivy Liu), third place
- Online News Reporting: Felony Franks (Ashley Kohler and Charlotte Eriksen), third place