Pleiad Wins Overall Award and Ten Individual Awards in Michigan Press Association College Paper Contest

On March 12, the Michigan Press Association (MPA) announced the winners of its annual College Better Newspaper Contest. Earning 520 points, The Pleiad took second place in the College Newspaper of the Year contest for its division, coming behind first-place winner Michigan State and ahead of third-place winner Grand Valley.  In addition, five Pleiad team members and three former team members were recognized by the MPA as 2019 College Better Newspaper Contest awardees. 

After some deliberation, members of The Pleiad team submitted what they decided were the best possible entries from the 2018-2019 school year. These entries were submitted in November and were subsequently judged by non-Michigan journalists against similar publications, including Michigan State and Grand Valley.

The Pleiad’s winning submissions are as follows:

Investigative Reporting

• Honorable Mention: Irene Corona-Avila for “Bon Appétit to Ban Plastic Straws From General Use by October.”

Feature Story

• First Place: Allyson White for “Kindness, Invisible Hardship and Raccoons: Maya Noble’s Story of Homelessness.” 

Column

• First Place: Evan Rieth for “‘SWEAT’ is a Play For Albion, the Rust Belt and America.” 
• Honorable Mention: Andrew Wittland for “Albion XC Came Up Short of Nationals. So, I Turned to Kendrick Lamar.” 

Best Writer

• First Place: Evan Rieth
• Second Place: Jordan Revenaugh

Features Photo

• Second Place: Jessica Behrman for “Dancing on Wild Rice.”

News-Only Photo

• Third Place: Peach Norman Owen for “Voices: The April 11 Unity Demonstration.”

Best Photographer

• Third Place: Gabby Henrikson
• Honorable Mention: Jessica Behrman

The Best Writer and Best Photographer categories were decided based off of a portfolio of multiple entries. With four wins overall, The Pleiad earned more prizes than any school in its division in those two categories.

Additionally, after winning six awards in 2009, two in 2013 and five in 2018, this year, with 10 awards, marks the most awards The Pleiad has ever won in a single year of entering MPA’s College Better Newspaper Contest.