The Citizen newspaper was honored with eight awards in the 2021 Michigan Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, marking the 13th consecutive year of recognition in the state’s largest journalism competition.
With the new awards announced on March 17, The Citizen has now received 63 MPA awards since 2005. With the number of winning entries by the news staff in 2020 and 2021, The Citizen has been a top three finalist for the MPA Newspaper of the Year Award in category B publications.
The Citizen competes in Weekly Class B, among publications with circulation between 7,001-15,000. This year the Arkansas Press Association reviewed 2,909 entries submitted by 96 Michigan newspapers. The competition inspires all journalists to produce their best work, which in turn, nurtures stronger communities.
Following the announcement, Paul J. Heidbreder, Michigan Press Association President and Publisher of the Traverse City Record-Eagle responded to the spotlight on the top journalists.
“It’s clear the huge amount of work our collective newsrooms are doing all over the state to serve their communities,” said Heidbreder.
“Covering our beats is crucial work that supports the democratic process in each community in Michigan; it’s work that supports the spirit of each community we serve. We have wonderful examples here of the tremendous talent we have in our state. These recent years have been difficult, but we will look back on these times with pride for all the positive impact we’re having on our readers.”
In the Feature Photo category, Patrick McAbee won first place for “Flippin’ over spring, ” and a third place for “Water works.
In the Feature Story category, David Fleet won third place for “Remembering D-Day.”
In the Government/Education News category, Shelby Stewart won first place for, “Surrogacy in Michigan:The human element”and David Fleet won an honorable mention for, “Same boat, different storm.”
In the News Enterprise Reporting category, Shelby Stewart won Honorable Mention for “Ultimate fitness earns gold.”
In the Spot News Story category, Shelby Stewart won third place for “COVID halts face to face for now.”