DETROIT, MI - MLive Media Group photographers won 20 awards during the Michigan Press Photographers Association’s annual conference on Saturday, April 12 at Wayne State University in Detroit.
The Bay City Times/The Saginaw News’ Kaytie Boomer, Ann Arbor News’ Josh Boland, Kalamazoo Gazette’s Devin Anderson-Torrez, Grand Rapids Press’ Cory Morse, Grand Rapids Press’ Neil Blake, Grand Rapids Press’ Joel Bissell, Grand Rapids Press’ Charlie Nick, The Flint Journal’s Julian Leshay Guadalupe, and The Flint Journal’s Jake May placed in a variety of categories with six of those being first-place wins.
The photographs entered into the contest were judged by Barbara Perenic, formerly of the Columbus Dispatch, Jeremy Wadsworth of the Toledo Blade and Rich-Joseph Facun, a freelance photojournalist. The multimedia judges were Andrew J. Whitaker and Grace Beahm Alford at The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C.
The visuals had to be made between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2024. Approximately 50 photojournalists from across Michigan entered the contest.
Josh Boland, a former intern in Ann Arbor, won first place in the Sports Photographer of the Year category while Julian Leshay Guadalupe, a former intern in Flint, was awarded third place in the Michigan Photographer of the Year category.
One of MLive’s first place wins was in the multimedia project catgeory for “Battle of the Bay.”
Another first place win was in the Multimedia News category, produced by Neil Blake titled, “Flint Water.”
Check out the photo wins in the gallery above.
The categories where MLive staff placed included general news, campaign news, feature, sports feature, portrait/personality, personal vision, news picture story, feature picture story, sports picture story, multimedia news, multimedia feature, multimedia project, sports photographer of the year, photographer of the year and the Barry Edmonds Michigan understanding award.
Click here for a direct link to the MLive winners gallery.
Ryan Garza of the Detroit Free Press won the photographer of the year title for the third year in a row.
Michigan State University’s Audrey Richardson was named the college photographer of the year. University of Michigan’s Tess Crowley and Lila Turner placed in second and third place in the category, respectively.
MPPA history was made as Ari Saperstein, a senior at West Bloomfield High School, won the competition’s premier award, the Barry Edmonds Michigan Understanding Award — the first high school student to ever do so.
Here is a full list of MPPA award winners for 2024:
Spot News
First Place: Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press, “Let Him Go”
Second Place: Andy Morrison, Detroit News, “Mulch Fire”
Third Place: David Rodriguez Munoz, Detroit Free Press, “Protest”
Honorable Mention: Quinn Banks, Freelance, “WSU Encampment”
Honorable Mention: Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press, “Surrounded”
General News
First Place: Clarence Tabb Jr., Detroit News, “MSP Funeral”
Second Place: Andy Morrison, Detroit News, “Drunk Driver”
Third Place: Clarence Tabb Jr., Detroit News, “Our Brother Is Gone”
Honorable Mention: Jake May, MLive.com/Flint Journal, “Abandoned, Not Forgotten”
Honorable Mention: Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press, “Cuffed Contrition”
Campaign News
First Place: Nic Antaya, Freelance for Washington Post, “Voting with Dad”
Second Place: Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press, “Abandon Biden”
Third Place: Audrey Richardson, Detroit Free Press, “Waiting for Kamala”
Honorable Mention: Julian Leshay Guadalupe, MLive.com/Flint Journal, “American Voter”
Honorable Mention: David Guralnick, Detroit News, “Trump fans”
Feature
First Place: Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press, “Taste the Snow”
Second Place: Jan-Michael Stump, Traverse City Record Eagle, “100 Days”
Third Place: Jake May, MLive.com/Flint Journal, “Moon Shadow”
Honorable Mention: Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press, “Beauty Within”
Honorable Mention: Charlie Nick, MLive.com/Grand Rapids Press, “Fox Puppet TV”
Honorable Mention: Audrey Richardson, Michigan State University, “Mermaid”
Sports Action
First Place: Ella Miller, CM Life, “Lacrosse Closeup”
Second Place: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press, “Safe at Third”
Third Place: Nic Antaya, Freelance for Getty Images, “Bubblegum Out”
Honorable Mention: Daniel Mears, Detroit News, “Dental Work”
Honorable Mention: Daniel Mears, Detroit News, “Air Lion”
Sports Feature
First Place: Jake May, MLive.com, “In hospice care with electric blue hair. And dreams of a Detroit Lions Super Bowl.”
Second Place: Tom Hawley, Monroe Evening News, “Touchdown Smiles”
Third Place: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press, “Finish Line Kiss”
Honorable Mention: Julian Leshay Guadalupe, MLive.com/Flint Journal, “Sportsmanship”
Honorable Mention: Tom Hawley, Monroe Evening News, “Sister Toss”
Honorable Mention: Marie Underwood, CM Life, “Raining Toilet Paper”
Portrait/Personality
First Place: Cory Morse, MLive.com/Grand Rapids Press, “Gerald”
Second Place: Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press, “A Little Hope”
Third Place: Nic Antaya, Freelance for The Times of London, “Hobby Horse Athlete”
Honorable Mention: Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press, “To Be a voter, Young and Black”
Personal Vision
First Place: David Guralnick, Detroit News, “Felled by a Summer Storm”
Second Place: Andy Morrison, Detroit News, “A Freighter in the Mist”
Third Place: David Rodriguez Munoz, Detroit Free Press, “Floyd”
Honorable Mention: Joel Bissell, MLive.com/Grand Rapids Press, “Iced”
Feature Picture Story
First Place: Cory Morse, MLive.com, “Home Sweet Home”
Second Place: Andy Morrison, Detroit News, “Eclipse Flight”
Third Place: Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press, “Space Dive”
Honorable Mention: Cydni Elledge, Freelance, “Skye”
Honorable Mention: Julian Leshay Guadalupe, MLive.com/Flint Journal, “Black Rodeo Comes to Flint”
News Picture Story
First Place: Mandi Wright, Detroit Free Press, “RIP Officer Mohamed Said”
Second Place: David Rodriguez Munoz, Detroit Free Press, “Watch Me”
Third Place: Wali Khan, Michigan State University, “Protest Erupt at Chicago DNC”
Honorable Mention: Joel Bissell, MLive.com, “Trump’s Triumphant Return”
Honorable Mention: Jake May, MLive.com, “Abandoned, Not Forgotten”
Sports Picture Story
First Place: David Rodriguez Munoz, Detroit Free Press, “Facing the World Again: Derek’s Journey”
Second Place: Ari Saperstein, West Bloomfield High School, “Tradition Starts Here”
Third Place: Julian Leshay Guadalupe, MLive.com/Flint Journal, “Tough As Nails Adaptive Athlete”
Honorable Mention: Devin Anderson Torrez, MLive.com, “Final Five Kilometers”
Honorable Mention: Tess Crowley, University of Michigan, “Wooden Skis and Warrior Spirits”
Honorable Mention: Katy Kildee, Detroit News, “Lift Hard. Lift Heavy. Have Fun.”
Multimedia News
First Place: Neil Blake, MLive.com, “Flint Water”
Second Place: Kyle Wilson, Michigan State University, “What is Pasteurization?”
Third Place: David Guranick, Detroit News, “Train”
Multimedia Feature
First Place: Sydney Kline, Central Michigan University, “Into the Woods”
Second Place: Kaytie Boomer, MLive.com, “Same Sex Marriage Anniversary”
Third Place: Neil Blake, MLive.com, “Calvin University’s first football game in program history”
Multimedia Project
First Place: MLive.com, “Battle of the Bay” Team entry directed by Gillian VanStratt
Second Place: Kyle Wilson, Michigan State University, “Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza”
Sports Portfolio
First Place: Josh Boland, MLive.com
Second Place: Jake May, MLive.com
Third Place: Joe Grogan, Central Michigan University
Honorable Mention: Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press
Honorable Mention: Ari Saperstein, West Bloomfield High School
College Photographer of the Year
First Place: Audrey Richardson, Michigan State University
Second Place: Tess Crowley, University of Michigan
Third Place: Lila Turner, University of Michigan
Photographer of the Year
First Place: Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press
Second Place: Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press
Third Place: Julian Leshay Guadalupe, MLive.com/Flint Journal
Barry Edmonds Michigan Understanding Award
Ari Saperstein, West Bloomfield High School, “Tradition Starts Here”
Best of Show
Clarence Tabb Jr., Detroit News, “MSP Funeral”
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