The Citizen news staff received three awards in the 2012 Michigan Press Association (MPA) Better Newspaper Contest. Newspapers around the state submit thousands of entries yearly in the contest, which was judged by the North Carolina Press Association. The Citizen competes among newspapers with circulations of 10,001-25,000.
Winning individual awards for The Citizen were Staff Writer Susan Bromley, who received first place in the sports writing category for her article, ‘One dirty run-Warrior Dash,? with judges commenting, ‘Fun feature on unconventional athletic event. Quotes and personal story gave entry a dynamic that put it above the competition.? Also winning was Staff Photographer Patrick McAbee, who took third place for the picture story ‘A Hadley July 4,? with judges commenting, ‘Awesome main photo’more awesome concept. Nice capture of what I’m sure is a signature community event.? In addition, McAbee also won third place for ‘Egg-Cited,? with judges commenting, ‘fun picture.?
Since 2005, The Citizen newspaper has been recognized with 15 MPA Better Newspaper Contest awards including two for general excellence.

The Citizen news staff received two awards in the 2011 Michigan Press Association (MPA) Better Newspaper Contest.
Members of the Colorado Newspaper Association reviewed 2,542 entries submitted by 102 Michigan newspapers. The Citizen competes among newspapers with circulation of 10,001-25,000.
Winning individual awards for The Citizen were Staff Writer Susan Bromley, who received second place in the feature story category for her article, ‘Help for the Homeless,? with judges commenting, ‘Great job in addressing an important community issue in a feature format. Certainly puts a face on the topic of homelessness. Well-written, sensitive and hard-hitting.?
Also winning was Staff Photographer Patrick McAbee who took third place for best news picture for a photo of Groveland Township firefighters battling a house fire. Judges comments were, ‘Excellent job of capturing a breaking fire story, well shot and reproduced. Good eye.?
Since 2005, The Citizen newspaper has been recognized with 12 MPA Better Newspaper Contest awards including two for general excellence.