The Citizen newspaper was honored with a record 11 awards in the 2020 Michigan Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, marking the 12th consecutive year of recognition in the state’s largest journalism competition.

The awards were announced via Zoom meeting on March 25.
With the new awards, The Citizen has now received 55 MPA awards since 2005. The competition inspires all journalists to produce their best work, which in turn, nurtures stronger communities.
The Citizen competes in Weekly Class B, among publications with circulation between 7,001-15,000. This year the Montana Press Association reviewed 2,739 entries submitted by 83 Michigan newspapers.
Julie Stafford, President Michigan Press Association, and publisher of the Greenville Daily News said in the midst of the chaos that was last year, a number of member papers submitted their best work as part of the Michigan Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.

“To my way of thinking, every single person in this industry who has come through the past year deserves recognition,” said Stafford. “If we were presenting these awards in person – as was tradition before 2020 – I’d ask for a round of applause to celebrate and recognize all of us.”
“Today, awards were given to those entries that stood out to our judges as some of the best of the best,” she said. “What is clear from this contest and from our collective efforts over the past year is that Michigan journalists and our hometown newspapers are talented, passionate and dedicated to making sure our readers stay informed.”
In the Feature Photo category, Patrick McAbee won first place for “Slime time.”
In the Feature Story category, Shelby Stewart won second place for “Area youth go “Shop with a Hero.”
In the Government/Education News category, Shelby Stewart won first place for, “Fewer children in Township”and David Fleet won third place for, “Veteran US Coast Guard couple together 74 years.”
In the News Photo category, Patrick McAbee won second place for, “School: Day 1,” and third place for “BHS Senior: Go one day at a time.”
In the Sports Feature category, David Fleet won second place for “Remembering ‘Mr. Tiger’ Al Kaline.”
In the Spot News Story category, Shelby Stewart won first place for, “Brandon EMS response, efforts saves township man,” David Fleet won second place for, “Dam breach, flood sweeps away cabin,” Shelby Stewart won third place for, “As COVID spreads schools, churches, governments cope,” and an honorable mention for, “Health Costs: Michigan’s flavored vape ban.”
Due to the number of winning entries by the news staff, The Citizen is a top three finalist for the MPA Newspaper of the Year Award in category B publications.