The Austin Weekly News won five awards last week as the Illinois Press Association announced the winners in its annual Best of the Press contest.
The Weekly was honored with first place for a special section for its Fall 2025 edition of West Side magazine. Austin Weekly publishes the magazine twice a year. The Spring/Summer edition is about to hit the streets with a focus on Blues on the West Side.
Austin Weekly also was recognized for investigative reporting for a series of 8 stories by Jessica Mordacq on the unraveling of West Suburban Medical Center. Mordacq was also recognized for an obituary tribute to Bertha Pernell and a profile of the late Austin icon Lillian Drummond. The Weekly was also honored for editorial design for a page created by Susan McKelvey.
Overall NEWSWELL Chicago’s four flags brought home 44 editorial prizes from the IPA contest which was held June 4 in East Peoria.
For the second year running, the Forest Park Review was named the best small circulation weekly in Illinois. Wednesday Journal of Oak Park & River Forest and the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark both placed third for General Excellence in their circulation categories.
In addition to the editorial awards, NEWSWELL’s Wednesday Journal of Oak Park & River Forest took the top prize for advertising and marketing efforts among non-daily newspapers in the state. The paper received the Sam Zito Award of Excellence for its sales, promotion and marketing work on behalf of clients.
Max Reinsdorf, general manager of NEWSWELL Chicago, said the strong showing on both the editorial and advertising sections of the IPA contest reflected the hard work and talent of the staff. “We’re committed to creating strong, independent and always locally focused news for our communities. We have great people, rooted in these neighborhoods. It is gratifying to see that work appreciated at the state level,” he said.