From the Nominator

STORIED is an annual print magazine sent to around 16,000 donors and friends and is a part of our engagement strategy within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement. With STORIED, we are primarily concerned with the audience's experience with our content. We strive to make sure it is relevant, interesting, informative, and beautifully designed. We have a very open approach to storytelling, and we try not to limit our ideas. For that reason, our publication stands out among others on campus. We treat the magazine as a general-interest piece that has less to do with promoting the university than it does with reflecting back to the reader the important and interesting stories with a tie to the University of Illinois. This issue includes stories about a 1909 coal mine disaster and an alum who runs a nonprofit dedicated to teaching children chess. There is also an illustrated piece about long-forgotten recipes from the dining halls and a story about one professor's work in nuclear energy.  We maintain a high quality of work, both visual and written, with an extremely small staff who each have other duties and no formal budget other than the amount we pay for printing and mailing. Illustrations (including the cover), photography, writing, and design are all done in-house. The only freelancer we pay for is a proofreader before going to print. STORIED is a good example of what can be done with passion for the craft and grit—not dollars.

From the Judges

Judges loved STORIED’s well-written narratives! The image selections for STORIED are excellent and complement the written content. The layout is vibrant and easy to follow. Two stand-out articles are the mining story and the recipe spread—the latter was unexpected and very engaging. Judges loved everything from the design, editing, and sustainability decisions to the stories themselves.