Paul Simon Democracy Prize

Miguel Alvarez

Miguel Alvarez from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill., will develop a youth-led civic engagement initiative that uses music to capture young people’s voices and experiences with democracy in southern Illinois. The project will culminate in the creation and dissemination of original music and digital content, along with community listening sessions, to foster greater connection, participation, and dialogue around democratic life.

Daniel Blaine

Daniel Blaine from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Ill., will expand his nonprofit, Communal Conversations, to facilitate structured civic discussions, community canvassing, and educational initiatives that foster greater public engagement and collaborative problem-solving around local issues. The project will result in community-driven reports and workshops that translate public input into actionable insights for local leaders while encouraging more informed and active participation in democratic life.

Caitlin Bradford

Caitlin Bradford from Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., will organize “Voterpalooza,” a nonpartisan campus event that combines voter education, interactive civic engagement activities, and student-led programming to increase participation in the 2026 midterm election. The project will be highlighted by a large-scale celebration on National Vote Early Day, featuring a “Stroll to the Polls” and a Battle of the Bands to encourage students to vote and engage more deeply in democratic life.

Isabella Taylor

Isabella Taylor from Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Ill., will create a YouTube channel called Democracy Simplified to provide clear, accessible voting information for young and first-time voters ages 16–24. The channel will feature step-by-step guides on voter registration, understanding ballots, and researching candidates, with the goal of reducing confusion and increasing civic participation among young people.

Ben Muncy

Ben Muncy from Illinois State University in Normal will set up voter registration tables on campus to help students register to vote or update their existing registration, with the goal of making voting more accessible and representative of where students actually live.

Tatiana Castillo

Tatiana Castillo from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale will chronicle the contributions of the international community to democratic life in southern Illinois over the past five years. The project will culminate in a public event showcasing these contributions and encouraging a discussion of democracy and inclusion.

Raluca Pavel

Raluca Pavel from Loyola University in Chicago will create and implement an upper-level undergraduate course designed as an experiential learning opportunity for students to explore democratic participation, civic responsibility, and policy engagement, with an emphasis on participatory budgeting.

Winter Hurst-Leadicker

Winter Hurst-Leadicker from Western Illinois University in Macomb will work to add a referendum to the Macomb ballot aimed at implementing a ranked-choice voting system to replace the current first-past-the-post electoral system.

VanKevia Garner from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Ms. Garner will develop a podcast series that explores the restoration of voting rights for people with criminal records and encourages civic engagement among previously incarcerated people.

Lylee Gibbs from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Ms. Gibbs will continue to develop the Saluki Local Reporting Lab at SIU. Her project will focus on telling local news stories about southern Illinois, specifically in Alexander County, which is the poorest county in Illinois.

Keara Gray from Illinois State University. Ms. Gray will organize community conversations on current civic issues and create a special website with local election-related information.

Saqlain Khurshid and Lyndsay Jones from Illinois State University. Ms. Jones and Mr. Khurshid will develop an analytic model to predict voting probability among ISU students. The model will target students who are less likely to vote with relevant information via an AI-driven chatbot on ISU's Center for Civic Engagement website.

Connor Wielgos from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He proposed a discussion series on public policy issues pertaining to the Chicago Bears’ plan to build a stadium and entertainment district in Arlington Heights.

Naya Busbea from McKendree University in Lebanon. She outlined a pilot project in which political science students at McKendree will work with local middle and high school students to better understand the challenges and opportunities of democracy.

LaMya Roach, Emma McConnell, Vivian Walter, and Darian Chess from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. They proposed a discussion and interaction series involving students, community residents, and public officials in the Carbondale area.