ICL magazine brings home three awards

Illinois Country Living team members joined other statewide magazine staff from across the nation in Louisville, KY, held Sept. 22-26, for the biennial Statewide Editors Association Institute. After a week of networking and educational seminars, the event ended with an awards ceremony. ICL was named as a recipient in three categories.

Editor Colten Bradford received the Award of Excellence for Best Editorial for "Thank you for your patience and your kindness." In the piece, he recognized the positive response of members versus that of for-profit utility customers in the face of major power outages. According to the judges, it was a "good editorial with a little twist to a common issue. … I guess country folk really do know how to survive and have a better attitude to boot."

Bradford also received the Award of Excellence for Best Scenic or Pictorial Photo for "From Cover to Cover." Judges commented that it was "a classic covered bridge photo that doesn't disappoint. Dripping in richness, you can almost hear the sounds of nature and the bubbling water of the river below."

The magazine also took home the Award of Merit for Best Digital Communication for its website, designed by Chief Creative Officer Chris Reynolds and managed by the Energized Graphics team. Judges stated, "You made … unique choices in color, text and photo blocking in this site I really enjoy. I also love how you have additional current stories animate in from the side, making sure the eye moves to those."

Congratulations to the ICL team. Click on the links below to view the award winners.

• Award of Excellence for Editorial: https://icl.coop/thank-you-for-your-patience-and-your-kindness/
• Award of Excellence for Scenic/Pictorial Photo: https://icl.coop/from-cover-to-cover/
• Award of Merit for Digital Communication: https://icl.coop/