Competing against the city's two major daily papers, MT arts & culture editor Travis R. Wright won first place in the criticism category for his review of a Leonard Cohen concert. In addition, Wright accomplished the rare feat of taking home an award for photography as well as writing by capturing second place in the feature photography category for his cover photo of poet M.L. Liebler.
Also winning first place at the awards ceremony held last week in Troy was the MT freelance contributor who writes under the name Detroitblogger John. He won in the feature-writing category for his moving portrayal of an impoverished Detroit family. Noting the strength of the competition in this category, the judges observed, "Detroitblogger wins because his article combines an inspiring command of storytelling with an ability to find and connect with his subjects."
Film critic Jeff Meyers took home a second place award for his reviews that judges commended for their "great use of film history." Also capturing a second place award was editorial cartoonist Mikhaela Reid. (Reid has since discontinued her cartoon "The Boiling Point.")
Editor W. Kim Heron and News Editor Curt Guyette received an honorable mention for their editorial endorsing candidate Ken Cockrel in last year's Detroit mayoral race. Guyette was also one of three finalists in the Journalist of the Year competition won by Jennifer Dixon of the Free Press.
"Year after year, our small staff plus our core freelancers continue to leave these award dinners with more than our share of accolades," said Heron. "It's a fine testament to the hard work of a great crew."
