A great illustration can immerse you in the emotion of a heartwrenching tale or delight with surprising details.

This year, The Banner worked with illustrators from our Maryland community to tackle stories big and small, telling complicated narratives about immigration, education, and the foreclosure crisis in Baltimore, humanizing the experiences of federal workers, and showing the emotional toll of the uprising after the killing of Freddie Gray.

These talented artists brought tenderness and whimsy to stories about swimming through the hot summer, the insatiable pull of TikTok and even a guide to Baltimore for Jane Austen fans.

Here are a few of our favorites from the year.

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From the story "The Dali crew is still in Baltimore, one year after the Key Bridge disaster." (Ashanti Fortson for The Banner)
From the story "For Baltimore high school students, this arts competition offers more than scholarships." (Mo Green/Wide Angle Youth Media, in partnership with the Baltimore News Collaborative)
From the story "How ‘driving while Black’ persists in Baltimore County." (Yifan Luo for The Banner)
From the story "'What fresh hell awaits me today?' Federal workers share their stories." (Stokely Baksh/The Banner)
From The Banner's 2025 holiday gift guide. (Laurent Hrybyk for The Banner)
From the story "A job loss survival guide for federal workers (and everyone else)." (Alex Fine for The Banner)
(Yifan Luo for The Banner)
From the story "Snapshot of Baltimore summer at Riverside Pool." (Yifan Luo for The Banner)
From the story "Is offshore wind doomed in Maryland?" (Alex Fine for The Banner)
From the story "Maryland students struggle with math, leaving a generation in trouble." (Ikenna Umeh for The Banner)
From the story "Commentary: It was already hard for teachers. Then Trump took office." (Ashanti Fortson for The Banner)
From the story "Commentary: I left Baltimore after Freddie Gray. This is why I still have hope for the city." (Yifan Luo for The Banner)
From the story "Thousands of immigrants uprooted as US expels them to nations they’ve never known." (Ikenna Umeh for The Banner)
From the story "You got into college! The catch: You still have to apply." (Laila Milevski for The Banner)
From the story "School buses for every Baltimore student seemed impossible — until now." (Alex Fine for The Banner)
From the story "I’m ready to quit TikTok, but my job won’t let me." (Ashanti Fortson for The Banner)
From the story "It’s my turn to host the family cookout. I am not sure I’m ready." (Johnalynn Holland for The Banner)
From the story "A Jane Austen fan’s guide to Baltimore." (Lexi K. Nilson for The Banner)
(Lexi K. Nilson for The Banner)
(Lexi K. Nilson for The Banner)
From the story "How life has gotten worse for immigrant children under Trump 2.0." (Ikenna Umeh for The Banner)
From the story "Speech therapists are stressed and short-staffed. Enter generative AI." (Mo Green/Wide Angle Youth Media, in partnership with the Baltimore News Collaborative)
From the story "Baltimore families ripped apart by ICE detentions, deportations." (Clara Longo de Freitas/The Banner)
From the story "Suspect in killing of American University professor is headed to trial after 15 years." (Delphine Lee for The Banner)
From the story "Federal workers are hunting for new jobs: 'It’s incredibly saturated'." (Ashanti Fortson for The Banner)
From the story "The housing hustle igniting a foreclosure crisis in Baltimore." (Alex Fine for The Banner)