The ACE (arts, culture and education) Awards are presented annually by 40 North | 88 West to honor the work of artists, teachers, businesses, individuals, organizations, volunteers, community and government leaders. All six ACE Awards highlight a different part of the cultural life of our community and celebrate those that, through hard work, dedication, and creative energy, cultivate the arts of Champaign County.
Please join us for the 2025 ACE Awards Celebration on Tuesday, December 2nd, 5:30pm at City Center in Champaign in honoring their outstanding contributions!
TICKETS: Tickets to the ACE Awards Celebration are $10 each in advance ($15 at the door).
Winners of the 2025 ACE Awards:
Advocate ACE Award – Kayla Brown for her tireless support of musicians, artists, and makers throughout Champaign County and beyond. Including nurturing the local event series, Toast to Taylor Street, from an idea to a reality. For putting together a team to found SoundBridge, a nonprofit with a mission to promote original music and provide more opportunities to original local acts. As well as for her brick-and-mortar business, Fire Doll Studio, that houses local makers and provides an intimate candlelit performance space for musicians from near and far.
Artist ACE Award – Stacey Robinson for his multi-disciplinary work as a graphic novelist, curator, DJ, and professor that blurs the line between fine art and pop culture with eloquence and ease. His work is accessible, beautiful, and socially impactful on the local community and beyond.
Volunteer ACE Award – Anita Stein for creating an inclusive theater experience for individuals with disabilities with her compassion, patience, and belief that everyone deserves a place to shine. Through her passion for theater and her heart for inclusion, she has given dozens of adults a stage, and a spotlight, to be seen, heard, and celebrated at Champaign-Urbana Special Recreation.
Business ACE Award – The Space for providing a venue where performers of all kinds can thrive. From open mic nights for comedy and music to visual arts installations and drag shows, The Space has created a place where performers and attendees feel welcomed and the arts scene is celebrated in all its forms.
Teacher ACE Award – Tamra Gingold for dedication to celebrating culture, community, and learning with student-centered initiatives. Through her role in creating Mariachi Tigres de Urbana and Mariachi Libertad, she has exemplified the ability of the arts to build bridges, amplify unheard voices, and create a more inclusive community. For turning music education into a tool for empowerment and belonging — showing that the arts are not just something we teach, but something that helps us see and understand one another.
Lifetime ACE Award – Tim Bartlett for his quiet and long-running contributions to creating beautiful public spaces that showcase art in the everyday landscape while improving the quality of life for the residents of Champaign County and beyond. Drawing upon his training as a planner and landscape architect, he helped to create the Urbana Park District’s Wandell Sculpture Garden at Meadowbrook Park over 25 years ago. During his tenure with Urbana Park District, Tim empowered his staff to embrace collaboration and partnerships to keep arts and culture at the forefront.
The winners were chosen from over 95 public nominations by an independent panel of community-based judges.
The ACE Award categories are: Advocate, Artist, Volunteer, Business, Teacher, and Lifetime Achievement. Nominations are reviewed by an independent panel of community-based judges representing a broad cross-section of Champaign County. Anyone can submit a nomination for an ACE Award. You may nominate multiple candidates and self-nominations are accepted. Must be a resident of Champaign County to be eligible to win an ACE Award. Previous nominees may be resubmitted.
ACE AWARD CATEGORIES:
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- Advocate ACE: This award will honor the individual, organization, or group that has advocated on behalf of the arts effectively and consistently, forged creative partnerships, or stimulated collaborations that result in broader awareness, accessibility and participation in the arts, culture and entertainment of Champaign County.
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- Artist ACE: This award recognizes an individual artist for their creations and contributions to the excellence of the arts of Champaign County.
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- Volunteer ACE: This award will be presented to an individual or group that, through their volunteer efforts and service, has made a significant impact on the art and culture of this community.
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- Business ACE: The award will celebrate the business that has demonstrated outstanding support of the arts. The winner will have cultivated opportunities and relationships that support local artists and/or organizations in Champaign County.
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- Teacher ACE: This award recognizes an individual, organization, school, educator, or group that has demonstrated a unique and creative approach to merging the arts and education. The winner will have, through outstanding commitment and dedicated service to arts education, been an inspiration to students, teachers, and the community.
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- Lifetime ACE: This award will honor the accumulated successes of an individual for continued, outstanding support of the arts in our community.
NOMINATION CRITERIA:
Self-nominations accepted. Must be a resident of Champaign County to be eligible to win an ACE Award.
Nominees can be artists, students, faculty, non-profit administrative staff, business owners and employees, elected and appointed officials and any other individuals and organizations actively supporting our creative community.
2024 ACE Awards winners:
Kanittha Fay – Advocate
Allison O’Hern – Teacher
Spank Knightly – Artist
Gallery Art Bar – Business
John Holton – Volunteer
Bob Chapman – Lifetime
2023 ACE Awards winners:
Jill Miller– Advocate
Abby Crull– Teacher
Ja Nelle Davenport-Pleasure– Artist
Rose Bowl Tavern– Business
Greg Stallmeyer– Volunteer
Carl Johnson– Lifetime
2019 ACE Awards winners:
Jason Finkelman– Advocate
John Currey– Teacher
EKAH– Artist
Keenan Dailey– Student
Dixon Graphics– Business
Susan Curtis– Volunteer
Bea Nettles– Lifetime
2018 ACE Awards winners:
Kelly Hieronymus– Advocate
Brandon T. Washington– Teacher
Peg Shaw– Artist
Natalie Wakefield– Student
Exile on Main Street– Business
Jim O’Brien– Volunteer
Dorothy Martirano– Lifetime
2017 ACE Awards winners:
Shaya Robinson– Advocate
Sue Aldridge– Teacher
Allen Creamean– Artist
Kamila Glowacki– Student
CU Adventures in Time & Space– Business
Lawrence McGown– Volunteer
Don Lake– Lifetime
2016 ACE Awards winners:
Mike Ingram– Advocate
Stacey Gross– Teacher
Deke Weaver– Artist
Saskia Bakker– Student
Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District– Business
Pecha Kucha Night CU– Volunteer
Aurora Villacorta (Miss V)– Lifetime
2015 ACE Awards winners:
Carolyn Baxley– Advocate
Rusty Clevenger– Teacher
Nina Paley– Artist
Xuxa Rodriguez– Student
Weiskamp Screen Printing– Business
Brenda Koenig– Volunteer
Harry Breen– Lifetime
2014 ACE Awards winners:
Pens to Lens/Thomas Nicol– Advocate
Nathaniel Banks– Teacher
Jason Patterson– Artist
Megan Diddie– Student
Art Coop– Business
Eric Robeson– Volunteer
Candy Foster– Lifetime
2013 ACE Awards winners:
Kathleen Harleman– Advocate
Chris Berti– Teacher
Steve Hudson– Artist
Emily Denis – Student
IDEA Store– Business
Leonard Doyle– Volunteer
Donnie Heitler– Lifetime
2012 ACE Awards winners:
Parkland Art Gallery– Advocate
Betty Allen– Teacher
Lisa Meid– Artist
Peyton Stewart– Student
Adams Outdoor– Business
Jamie Gossett– Volunteer
Ollie Watts Davis– Lifetime
2011 ACE Awards winners:
James Barham– Advocate
Mark Rubel– Teacher
Kathleen Everingham– Artist
Caitlin Caruso-Dobbs– Student
Shared-Space– Business
Hiram Paley– Volunteer
Kimiko Gunji– Lifetime
2010 ACE Awards winners:
Anna Hochhalter– Advocacy
Robert Smith– Arts Education
Michael’s Catering– Business
Jonathan Sivier & Thomas Anderson– Creative Community Service
James Bier– Lifetime Achievement
Community Concierge Magazine– Media
Pacifica Quartet– Spotlight
2009 ACE Awards winners:
Jo Ellen DeVilbiss– Advocacy
Mary Ellen Page– Arts Education
Iron Post– Business
Nathan and Julie Gunn– Creative Community Service
Robin Hall– Lifetime Achievement
Parkland College Television– Media
Bow-Dacious String Band– Spotlight
2008 ACE Awards winners:
Mike Ross– Advocacy
Brian Hagy– Arts Education
Precision Graphics– Business
Patrick Harness– Creative Community Service
Carl and Nadja Altstetter– Lifetime Achievement
Rantoul Press/Ian Wang– Media
Sousa Archives– Spotlight
2007 ACE Awards winners:
Jon ‘Cody’ Sokolski– Advocacy
Robin Kearton– Arts Education
Pages for All Ages– Business
Danielle Chynoweth– Creative Community Service
Daniel J. Perrino– Lifetime Achievement
Jay Rosenstein– Media
Ebertfest– Spotlight
2006 ACE Awards winners:
Jenny Southlynn– Advocacy
William Patterson– Arts Education
Main Street Bank– Business
Andy Warfel– Creative Community Service
Rick Orr– Lifetime Achievement
WEFT 90.1 FM– Media
Janet Soesbe– Arts Partner
2005 ACE Awards winners:
Yu (Ian) Wang– Advocacy
Brenda Kimble– Arts Education
Busey Bank– Business
Kathy Murphy & John Stuff– Creative Community Service
Jane Hobgood– Lifetime Achievement
Melissa Merli– Media
Virgina Theater– Arts Partner
