Michigan Advance Wins 2022 Public Service Award, 22 Total Michigan Press Association Honors

Michigan Advance

March 17, 2023

The Michigan Advance has won 22 Michigan Press Association (MPA) awards in its 2022 “News Media Publication of the Year” contest, including placing first in the Public Service Award for “Loss, strain and hope mark the next phase of the COVID pandemic.”

Anna Gustafson, Susan J. Demas, Allison R. Donahue, Ken Coleman and Laina G. Stebbins contributed to the Advance‘s winning Public Service coverage. Bridge placed second. In 2021, the Advance also took home top honors in the Public Service category.

In total, the Advance earned 22 awards spanning 14 news categories, including first place for Best Publication Design, Government/Education Writing, News Photo, Opinion Writing, Page Design and more.

“At the Michigan Advance, our mission is to report on how politics and policy connects with people’s lives, especially those in underserved communities across the state. There is no greater honor for us than winning the Michigan Press Association’s Public Service Award for our COVID-19 pandemic coverage for the second straight year. As a publication that’s only four years old, we are incredibly grateful to have our peers recognize the Michigan Advance‘s commitment to outstanding reporting, design and photography with so many awards this year,” said Editor-in-Chief Susan J. Demas.

The Michigan Advance competed against other statewide online publications and won second place for 2022 Newspaper of the Year, with Bridge placing first. In 2021, the Advance also won second place.

Previously, the Advance, a nonprofit politics and policy outlet that began publishing in December 2018, was named the 2020 Newspaper of the Year for Class D weekly publications. The Advance also took second place for Newspaper of the Year in that category in 2019.

The annual contest ran from Aug. 1, 2021, through July 31, 2022. The Michigan Advance began publishing on Dec. 4, 2018, with Demas, a 22-year journalism veteran at the helm. The Advance has a staff of five journalists and is one of 33 publications part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

The MPA announced its awards Thursday afternoon in a virtual event.

“The annual Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest gives our members a chance each year to assess and put forth their team’s best work in journalism, photojournalism, column writing, graphic design and advertising. … Anyone in this business today is in it, not for kudos, but because of a passion and desire to serve our readers, our advertisers and our communities. For us, the work is the reward. But on the occasion of [the] MPA BNC contest awards, let’s take a moment to say to all our coworkers and all our colleagues — Good job! And to the winners — Congratulations!” said Wes Smith, Michigan Press Association president and group publisher of View Newspaper Group.

The Michigan Advance, a hard-hitting, nonprofit news site, covers politics and policy across the state of Michigan through in-depth stories, blog posts, and social media updates, as well as top-notch progressive commentary. The Advance is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.