Michigan Press Association Awards
Members of Iowa Press Association studied thousands of entries submitted by Michigan newspapers when they judged the 2009 Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. Complete results are available online at www.michiganpress.org.
The Record-Eagle competed in Class C, consisting of newspapers with circulation between 12,001-30,000.
2009 Newspaper of the Year
This award is presented to the top newspaper in eight circulation classes based on points accumulated (100 for first, 70 for second and 40 for third – points are doubled in the General Excellence contest) in all Editorial contest categories.
General Excellence, 1st Place
Judges Comments: "Head and shoulders winner in this category. Strong design,
strong local content, best writers. An easy choice."
Design, 1st Place
Judges Comments: "Consistently clean, sophisticated, attractive design. Balanced use of art, white space and typography. Design appropriate to news value. Obama cover especially good.
Spot News Story, 1st Place, Art Bukowski & Lindsay VanHulle
Judges Comments: "Strong storytelling lead, fact-packed and tight writing. Lots of scene and official sources. Good photos and map brought readers to the scene. All under harsh conditions."
Feature Story , 1st Place, Vanessa McCray
Judges Comments: "Reads like a good mystery story. Lots of legwork and research woven together into a compelling, readable yarn."
Feature Picture, 1st Place, Douglas Tesner
Judges Comments: "This photo made me laugh out loud. That's what a great photo should do. It was the only photo that I knew right away would place. Features are supposed to be fun and quirky, and this one is both. Photos (great photos) should cause some sort of emotion."
Special Section, 2nd Place, Traverse City Record-Eagle
Judges Comments: "An outstanding commemorative section backed with historical
facts. A modern perspective. Love the dramatic old photos and
simple layout."
Lifestyle Pages, 2nd Place, Traverse City Record-Eagle
Judges Comments: "Attention getting headlines and layout. A wealth of interesting
topics organized to keep readers moving through sections."
Sports Writing , 2nd Place, Mike Eckert
Judges Comments: "A great sports story that is about more than sports. Mr. Eckert was able to convey the school's passion for football and its program set against the backdrop of a state championship. A tough choice between this and the winner.
Sports Picture, 2nd Place, Jan-Michael Stump
- (photo not available online)
Judges Comments: No comment given.
News Enterprise Reporting, 3rd Place, Brian McGillivary
Judges Comments: "Nice job of turning spot news into a richly detailed piece based
on thorough prior coverage. Tough to do in this era of his staffs
and reduced resources."
Editorial Writing, 3rd Place, Mike Tyree
Judges Comments: "Well-researched, persuasive, focused. (Solutions would be
stronger than advice.)"
Feature Picture, 3rd Place, Jan-Michael Stump
Judges Comments: "I like the idea of this photo. The silhouette is nice, but the photo could have placed higher if the composition was better. I don't like how small the action is and how its dead center of frame."
Picture Story, 3rd Place, Jan-Michael Stump
- Living on the Edge (photos not available online)
Judges Comments: No comment given.
Sports Feature, 3rd Place, Mark Urban
Judges Comments: "Although not as dramatic as the top 2 features. This had the
most research, etc. Mr. Urban obviously put a lot of time in,
and the stories, such as the bus and watching film on the wall
in the hall, were perfect in the piece."
Sports Writing, 3rd Place, Dennis Chase
Judge's Comments: "A strong article about a player at the end of his career. Good
quotes and a good history on a player who people outside the
area may not know."
News Picture, Honorable Mention, Douglas Tesner
Judges Comments: No comment given
