The Illinois Woman’s Press Association is proud to announce the winners of the 2021 Mate E. Palmer Communications Contest. Begun in 1941, the writing contest was established in memory of the ninth president of IWPA. The state contest has expanded widely since those early years to parallel categories set forth by the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW.org). First place winners in the IWPA contest go on to compete on the national platform in the NFPW contest. Winners in the NFPW competition will be announced on June 11 during the national conference.

IWPA congratulates Mr. Timothy Libretti as this year’s winner of the coveted Silver Feather Award. This award is presented to the individual who earns the highest number of awards in the Mate E. Palmer Communications Contest.

Tracy Ahrens

037-c: 37C – Personal: The adventure of Angel’s senior dog antics, 2nd Place

037-c: 37C – Personal: Bonding with bed time yoga poses, Honorable Mention

016-a: 16A – Single poem: Hands of souls applauding, 2nd Place

016-a: 16A – Single poem: Thicket of memories, 3rd Place

016-a: 16A – Single poem: touching dream, Honorable Mention

Eve Becker and Katie Scarlett Brandt

019-b: 19B – Magazine/Magapaper (newspaper format with magazine-style writing and design): Chicago Health Magazine – fall 2020 print issue, 1st Place

Sharon Bossard

012-a: 12A – Autobiography or Memoir: 2nd Place

Lorna Collier

005-b: 05B – Magazine, newsletter/other publication: In Covid-19 Long-Haul Syndrome, Symptoms Continue for Months, 1st Place

Marlene Cook

010-c: 10C – Newsletter/other publication, non-profit, government, or educational: Fenger High School Class of June 1952, 1st Place

008-a: 08A – General: Marlene’s Musings, 1st Place

007-i: 07I – History: Southsiders Have a Special Place in Their Hearts and Stomachs for Jays, Honorable Mention

Michelle Cox

011-01a: 11A – Novels (More than 40,000 words): A Child Lost, 1st Place

Adrien David

058-a: 58A – News: Unneeded use of antibiotics creates ‘superbugs,’ 2nd Place

Joshua Friedberg 

007-b: 07B – Arts and entertainment (enter reviews in 7O): Matchbox Twenty: Aren’t We All a Little “Unwell” in the Time of Coronavirus?, 2nd Place 

007-l: 07L – Personal essay (article from author’s perspective with single thesis, supporting statements, and conclusion): My Name is Josh and I’m a Recovering Music Snob, 3rd Place

007-l: 07L – Personal essay (article from author’s perspective with single thesis, supporting statements, and conclusion): ‘I’m So Proud of My Gay Grandson!’, 1st Place

007-o: 07O – Reviews (any subject, must express a personal opinion): ‘Piano Duets’ Asserts Ella Fitzgerald’s Interpretive Greatness, 3rd Place

007-q: 07Q – Social issues: My Privilege Checklist as a Gay, Autistic, White, Middle-Class Male, Honorable Mention

041-e: 41E – Special interest video: Redefining Creativity as an Autistic Person | Joshua Friedberg | TEDxEarlhamCollege, 1st Place

009: 09 – Headlines: Four Essay Headlines, 1st Place

057: 57 – Speech: CHIRP Radio First Time story: First Break, 2nd Place 

005-c: 05C – Online publication: Rethinking Race and Gender in Country: Four Essential Books, 1st Place

004: 04 – Editorial/Opinion: Thank You, Ghosting, 3rd Place

008-d: 08D – Personal opinion (bylined, not editorial): My Grief Playlist: What Helps Me Deal with Death; When a #Selfie Means More, 2nd Place

Suzanne Hanney

006-b: 06B – More than 500 words: You Are Enough: Chicago artist Matthew Hoffman spreads a message of hope around the world, 1st Place

007-d: 07D – Education: Parent groups question CPS pace for remote learning, 1st Place

007-d: 07D – Education: The strain of remote learning on Students in Temporary Living Situations, 2nd Place

007-g: 07G – Government or politics: Fair tax ‘is not communism, it’s math;’ it brings revenue to fix state’s woes, 1st Place

007-g: 07G – Government or politics: You count! What census results will mean for Illinois, 2nd Place

007-q: 07Q – Social issues: You Still Count! The state of the 2020 census, 1st Place

007-q: 07Q – Social issues: Folded Map artist: Contract sales created Black-white wealth gap, 3rd Place

007-i: 07I – History: Speaking with Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement, 2nd Place

007-i: 07I – History: Votes for Women: How Illinois Paved the Way During the Women’s Suffrage Movement, Honorable Mention

007-i: 07I – History: Sacred Ground: Historian Timuel Black takes us on an oral history of Chicago’s Bronzeville since the Great Migration, Honorable Mention

019-b: 19B – Magazine/Magapaper (newspaper format with magazine-style writing and design): RIP RBG, 2nd Place

019-b: 19B – Magazine/Magapaper (newspaper format with magazine-style writing and design): The Other Big Vote on November 3rd: Fair Tax, 3rd Place

019-b: 19B – Magazine/Magapaper (newspaper format with magazine-style writing and design): You Still Count: The state of the 2020 census Part II, Honorable Mention

Timothy Libretti

007-a: 07A – Agriculture (agribusiness, aquaculture): Coronavirus Makes Us Re-think How We Value Labor and Lives, 1st place

017: 17 – Essay, Chapter, or Section in a Book: Getting Fooled Again by Populism: Detecting the Origins of American Hate in Spike Lee’s Summer of Sam, 1st place

007-h: 07H – Green/environmental: Can an economy destroy the environment and still be considered ‘strong’?, 1st Place

007-b: 07B – Arts and entertainment (enter reviews in 7O): Queen’s Gambit Portrays Damage of Sexism, Class System for All, 1st Place

007-b: 07B – Arts and entertainment (enter reviews in 7O): Pandemic from the Janitor’s Point of View, 3rd Place

007-o: 07O – Reviews (any subject, must express a personal opinion): A pandemic ‘Nurse T’ tells her COVID-19 story in new published diary, 2nd Place

007-o: 07O – Reviews (any subject, must express a personal opinion): Hospital mystery ‘One Foot in the Grave’ a working-class response to pandemic, Honorable Mention

007-r: 07R – Sports: The Last Dance: What Michael Jordan teaches about defeating Trumpism, 1st Place

007-r: 07R – Sports: LeBron James challenges key capitalist narrative Americans have been taught to love, 2nd Place

007-r: 07R – Sports: Where Trump’s Language of Winning Has Gotten Us in Baseball and Democracy, 3rd Place

007-i: 07I – History: Tom Cotton’s 1619 Project Legislation Highlights Ignorance Of Political Economy and History, 1st Place

007-i: 07I – History: A Brief History of Saving Lives against U.S. Capitalism: From the Great Depression to Coronavirus, 3rd Place

007-l: 07L – Personal essay (article from author’s perspective with single thesis, supporting statements and conclusion): Little League with a Purse: Can Baseball Save Us from the Pandemics of COVID-19 and Toxic Masculinity, 2nd Place

007-d: 07D – Education: Trump’s Attack on “Failing Government Schools” Reveals Religiously-Repressive, Racist, and Homophobic Attack on Public Education, 2nd Place

007-d: 07D – Education: Betsy DeVos’ Corrupt Assault on Public Education Continues, 3rd Place

007-c: 07C – Business: Trump Believes Making America Competitive Depends on Slashing Americans’ Wages, 1st Place

007-c: 07C – Business: Don’t believe in class struggle? Read J.P. Morgan’s report to wealthy clients, 2nd Place

007-g: 07G – Government or politics: But ‘What is the Economy, Stupid?’, 3rd Place

007-g: 07G – Government or politics: Democrats seek a new language of working-class identity, Honorable Mention

002: 02 – Continuing Coverage or Unfolding News: The Supreme Court’s Vexed Relationship with Civil and Democratic Right, 1st Place

002: 02 – Continuing Coverage or Unfolding News: The Continuing Struggle for LGBTQ Civil Rights, 2nd Place

003: 03 – In-depth Reporting : Coronavirus Offers Ongoing Lessons for Addressing America’s Social Problems, 1st Place

003: 03 – In-depth Reporting: Understanding the Genocidal Dimensions of Trump’s Policies and Presidency, 2nd Place

004: 04 – Editorial/Opinion: Opinion: Are We All in This Together? Not When Republicans Funnel Relief to Millionaires, 1st Place

004: 04 – Editorial/Opinion: Opinion: American Lives Depend on Telling True Story of Trump’s Life-Destroying Economy, 2nd Place

001-c: 01C – Online publication: Stripping protection for federal workers, Trump squeezes experts out of government, 1st Place

005-c: 05C – Online publication: Biden’s Cabinet Choices Point To New American Future Through Promise to Confront American Past, 2nd Place

008-d: 08D – Personal opinion (bylined, not editorial): Opinion: When It Comes to Really Valuing Essential Workers, Gretchen Whitmer Puts Michigan’s Money Where the Nation’s Mouth Is; Opinion: The GOP’s False Choice between Saving Lives and Saving the Economy Is a Failure of the Imagination, 1st Place

008-a: 08A – General: Opinion: The Importance of Stating the “Obvious”: Why General Mattis’ Belated Statement Matters; Opinion: The Heart of AOC’s Beautiful Response: Individual Apologies Have Nothing to Do with Ending Sexism, 2nd Place 

Bonnie McGrath

037-c: 37C – Personal: RBG, ACB, and Me….Federalism, Friendship and the A-words that matter most of all, Honorable Mention

037-c: 37C – Personal: To take or not to take the new vaccine: my existential history with inoculations, Honorable Mention

037-c: 37C – Personal: I was born on either December 25 or 26. Who cares? Social Security, Comcast and my mom, for starters, Honorable Mention

037-c: 37C – Personal: We’re in dystopia and it’s back to the basics with food, Honorable Mention

037-c: 37C – Personal: On dishwashing, ATMs, walking the neighborhood, and shopping for food during the time of “we’re all in this together….”, 1st Place

037-c: 37C – Personal: So there was this one day recently when…everything was sort of normal, Honorable Mention

Janice Newman

031: 31 – Talk Show: Y? Why Not! Getting Financially Sound Part 3 with Susan Pfeiffer, 1st Place

031: 31 – Talk Show: Y? Why Not! Show – Motorsports Unlimited, guest Bill Wildt, Producer(weekly cable tv series) Pt 1, 2nd Place

031: 31 – Talk Show: Y? Why Not! Topic: Different Aspects of Ministry – with guests Pastors Timothy & Sandra Scott, 3rd Place

031: 31 – Talk Show: Y? Why Not! Show – Topic: Successful Women Pt. 2 – Nikoleta Morales Interview, Honorable Mention

030: 30 – Interview: Y? Why Not! Show Topic: Parenting Without Losing Your Mind with Guest Anthony Ward, Jr., 1st Place

030: 30 – Interview: Y? Why Not! Show – Lack of Young Adults in the Church, 2nd Place

030: 30 – Interview: Y? Why Not! Topic: Y? Why Not God – Guest Speaker Pastor Cid Zollicoffer, 2nd Place

030: 30 – Interview: Y? Why Not! Getting Financial Sound Series Pt 4, 2nd Place

030: 30 – Interview: Y? Why Not Show? Topic: Married with Different Beliefs with special guest LaSeandra Lester, BA, Honorable Mention

030: 30 – Interview: Y Why Not! Topic: Bill Wildt, Host of Motorsports Unlimited Part 2, Honorable Mention

029-b: 29B – Television: Y? Why Not! Show Topic: Solutions for the Racial Tension in America with guest Dr. Isaiah D. Simpson, 1st Place

029-b: 29B – Television: Y? Why Not! Getting Financially Sound Pt 3 & Pt 4, 2nd Place

029-b: 29B – Television: Y? Why Not! Motorsports Unlimited w/Bill Wildt (Series Pt 1 & Pt 2), 3rd Place

039-a: 39A – Nonprofit, government or educational: Ywhynot (Facebook Web Page), 1st Place

Becky Sarwate

007-o: 07O – Reviews (any subject, must express a personal opinion): ‘Hedda Gabler: a Play with Music’ Delivers an Inventive Take on Ibsen’s Classic, 1st Place

Katie Scarlett Brandt 

005-b: 05B – Magazine, newsletter/other publication: The Great Unequalizer: Chicago faced severe health inequities long before Covid-19. Whose job is it to solve the problem?, 1st Place

Loni Strach

016-a: 16A – Single poem: “Hide and Seek”, 1st Place

Pat Szpekowski

005-a: 05A – Print-based newspaper: Vaping Vigilance, 1st Place

007-n: 07N – Religion: Catholic Chaplains Change Normal Routines, 1st Place

005-b: 05B – Magazine, newsletter/other publication: Winner, winner chicken dinner, 2nd Place

Heidi Wagner

23 Photography – Photographer Writer: The Passions Project: Capturing lives filled with enthusiasm, vitality and meaning, 1st Place

Mary Wagner

026: 26 – Book Designed by Entrant: Finnigan the Lionhearted, 1st Place

013-a: 13A – Fiction: Finnigan the Lionhearted, 2nd Place

037-c: 37C – Personal: A Pandemic Marsh Walk, 3rd Place

Michele Weldon 

004: 04 – Editorial/Opinion: VOICES Women in movies: I can’t forget these silver-haired ladies on the silver screen;, Honorable Mention

012-a: 12A – Autobiography or Memoir: Act Like You’re Having A Good Time: Essays, 1st Place

Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas

050: 50 – Audiovisuals: Meet Our National COAs / 2020 Celebrating COA History, 1st Place

046: 46 – Public Relations Campaign: NFPW Zoom Communicator of Achievement Ceremony, 1st Place

046: 46 – Public Relations Campaign: Who Won Sweepstakes, 2nd Place

046: 46 – Public Relations Campaign: Legacy Builders, 3rd Place