Reflejos takes five national awards

Reflejos, the bilingual weekly publication focused on suburban Latinos, won five awards from the National Association of Hispanic Publications at its 33rd annual convention held recently in Dallas.

The awards were in recognition of the dedication, evolution and creative format that Reflejos strives to deliver to its readers in eight counties.

"These awards are extremely gratifying and are confirmation that we, at Reflejos, are touching the points of importance within our community," said Linda Siete, manager of sales and operations.

Reflejos received the Bronze Award for Outstanding Bilingual Weekly in the category of publications with more than 30,000 copies in distribution. Reflejos competed with publications throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico that provide news and information to the growing Latino community.

For the second year in a row, Reflejos' annual Reflecting Excellence Event took home a Silver Award for Outstanding Event.

"This is one of our most outstanding accomplishments, as it is an evening where we recognize the businesses and organizations who 'Reflect Excellence' in their services and products delivered to our community," Siete said.

MANGO, a monthly entertainment section highlighting national and local performers and events, won a Silver Award for Outstanding Design, the fourth year in a row the section has been honored.

The Health and Wellness editions were also honored with a Bronze Award for Outstanding Health Sections,

"Our Health and Wellness guides give hospitals and clinics, as well as individual medical entities, the opportunity to tell their stories," Siete said. Spanish Language Editor Marco Ortiz received a Silver Award for Outstanding Editorial in Spanish, writing about his family's odyssey from Peru to the U.S.

"The editorial was a moving tribute from Marco about his journey as his daughter became a U.S. citizen," Siete said. "It reinforces how much so many in the Latino community want to become citizens, how proud they are when they make it and how important also it is to always remember their birth land."

Reflejos Publications, a member of the Daily Herald Media Group, celebrated 25 years of serving the suburban Chicago Latino community on Aug. 25 in Elgin, where the publication began.