MLive Media Group has won 21 first-place awards from the Michigan Associated Press Media Editors. The awards were handed out Sunday afternoon for the 2013 newspaper competition.

The Kalamazoo Gazette also earned first place in general excellence. The Grand Rapids Press was awarded second place for General Excellence in Division 3. In Division 2, The Flint Journal got second place and in Division 1The Jackson Citizen Patriot received third place.

First place awards included Best Public Service for the The Flint Journal's “#IWantYouToKnow.”

MLive also swept 12 categories in Division 2:, including Best Public Service, Best Sustained Coverage of a Single Sports Event and Best Multimedia Journalist.

First Place

• Best Multimedia Journalist: Daniel Brenner, The Ann Arbor News • Best Editorial Division 2: Linda Mah, Kalamazoo Gazette, "Officials Put School District at Risk With Handling of Tax Situation." • Best Writer: Danielle Salisbury, The Jackson Citizen Patriot • Best Writer Division 2: Blake Thorne, The Flint Journal • Best Sustained Coverage of a Single Sports Event: Scott Brandenburg and Lynn Moore, The Muskegon Chronicle, "Hesperia Wrestling Coach's Contract Not Renewed." • Best Sports Enterprise: Rich McGowan, The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Parma Western High School Sophomore Healthy After Winning Battle Against Cancer" • Best Sports Enterprise: Peter Cunningham, The Ann Arbor News, "Outdoor Hockey Brings Sense of Nostalgia to Even the Most Cynical." • Best Sports Column: Peter Cunningham, The Ann Arbor News, "Brace Yourself Ann Arbor." • Best Sports: Ross Maghielse, The Flint Journal, "Davison Falls " • Best Informational Graphics or Illustrations: The Saginaw News, "Cost of Violence More Than Numbers" • Best News Photo: Chris Clark, The Grand Rapids Press, "Children Rescued From Submerged Car." • Best Feature Photo: Sammy Jo Hester, The Saginaw News, “Hospital Wedding” • Best Feature Photo: Cory Morse, The Grand Rapids Press, "Shattered Hopes: ArtPrize Entry Accidentally Knocked Over." • Best Sports Photo: Jake May, The Flint Journal, “Blizzard Blitz.” • Best Feature Story: Hugh Bernreuter, The Saginaw News, “Pee Wee Reunion Brings Saginaw ‘Woods’ Friends Together After More Than 50 Years” • Best Photo Story: Mark Bugnaski, Kalamazoo Gazette, “Sentencing David Johnson” • Best Feature Story: John Barnes, The Grand Rapids Press, "Where Cullen Finnerty Died." • Best Public Service: The Flint Journal, “#IWantYouToKnow” • Best News Column: Julie Mack, Kalamazoo Gazette, “In Midst of Gay Marriage Debate, A Love Story of Two Portage Teachers.” • Best Enterprise Reporting: Brienne Prusak, The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Jackson County's Recovery Court" o General Excellence: Kalamazoo Gazette

Second Place:

• Best Multimedia Journalist Division 1: J. Scott Park, The Jackson Citizen Patriot. • Best Multimedia Journalist Division 2: Mark Bugnaski, Kalamazoo Gazette • Best Editorial Division 2: Bernie Eng, The Bay City Times, "Odor in Bay City Sign of Success" • Best Writer Best Writer Division 2: Heather Peters, The Muskegon Chronicle • Best Writer Division 3: John Barnes, The Grand Rapids Press. • Best Sustained Coverage of a Single Sports Event: Rich McGowan and Leanne Smith, The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Keeping the Promise?" • Best Sustained Coverage of a Single Sports Event Division 2: Scott DeCamp, Kalamazoo Gazette, "The Firing of Mattawan Boys Basketball Coach Dan Hoff" • Best Sustained Coverage of a Single Sports Event: Cory Olsen, The Grand Rapids Press, "Extreme Swimmer Hauls a Ton of Bricks Across Lake St. Clair." • Best Sports Enterprise: Peter Cunningham, The Ann Arbor News, "Michigan Softball Team Makes 9-year-old Natalie Harper Part of the Team" • Best Sports Column: Hugh Bernreuter, The Saginaw News, "Alex Grace Makes Sure Lucas Isom's No. 9 Remains a Constant Force in Swan Valley Football Program" • Best Sports: Hugh Bernreuter, The Saginaw News, "Los Angeles Dodgers Prospect Corey Seager Promoted" • Best News Photo: J. Scott Park, The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Arraignment for Brother" • Best News Photo: Jake May, The Flint Journal, "Tears of a Triple Homicide" • Best News Photo: Chris Clark, The Grand Rapids Press, "Sinkhole Swallows Tree" • Best Feature Photo: Jake May, The Flint Journal, “Brotherly Love” • Best Sports Photo: Steph Anderson Chambers, Kalamazoo Gazette, “K-Wings Beat Wheeling Nailers in a Shootout, 3–2” • Best Sports Photo: Mike Mulholland, The Grand Rapids Press, "Pure Excitement" • Best Photo Story: J. Scott Park, The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Shelby Maldonado's Journey Back." • Best Photo Story: Mark Bugnaski, Kalamazoo Gazette, “Mustangs Win Playoff in Division 2 Football.” • Best Photo Story: The Grand Rapids Press, "Historic Flooding Grips West Michigan." • Best Feature Story: Brad Devereaux, The Saginaw News, “Michigan Man, Bankrupt Before Winning Two $1-million Jackpots in Two Years, Plans to Win Again” • Best Public Service: Rex Hall Jr., Kalamazoo Gazette, “Infant Mortality Series.” • Best News Column: Brad Flory, The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Worrying About Brains in High-School Sports Is Not Mollycoddling" • Best News Column: Rob Clark, The Bay City Times, “Prime Bros. Furniture Repairman Don Spychalski Is An Expert In His Field, the Last of His Kind” • Best Breaking News: The Saginaw News, “Saginaw High Pre-Prom Shooting.” • Best Sustained Coverage of a Single News Event: Kalamazoo Gazette, “Interfaith Homes Fire Coverage” • Best Sustained Coverage of a Single News Event: The Grand Rapids Press, "Historic Grand River Flooding Grips West Michigan" • Best Investigative Reporting: Julie Mack, Kalamazoo Gazette, “Portage School Superintendent Controversy.” • Best Enterprise Reporting: Julie Mack, Kalamazoo Gazette, “Kalamazoo Promise Series” • Best Enterprise Reporting: John Barnes, The Grand Rapids Press, "Crying Wolf: How Half Truths, Falsehoods and One Farmer Distorted Reasons for Historic Hunt" o General Excellence: The Flint Journal o General Excellence: Grand Rapids Press

Third place

• Best Multimedia Journalist: Jake May, The Flint Journal. • Best Multimedia Journalist Divison 3: Chris Clark, The Grand Rapids Press • Best Editorial Division 3: John Barnes, The Grand Rapids Press, "Code Red: Six Steps to Safer Days in Michigan Schools." • Best Writer Division 2: Scott Atkinson, The Flint Journal • Best Sustained Coverage of a Single Sports Event Division 2: Mark Opfermann, The Muskegon Chronicle, "Muskegon Lumberjacks Ownership Change" • Rich McGowan, The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Teen Balances Athletics, Boxing, Future Goals While Tackling Grown-Up Responsibilities at Home" • Best Sports Enterprise: David Drew, Kalamazoo Gazette, "Receiver Davis Finds His Way" • Best Sports Column: Kyle Feldscher, The Ann Arbor News, "Being an Undercover Buckeye in Ann Arbor Isn't For the Faint of Heart" • Best Sports Column: Mike Griffith, The Grand Rapids Press, "Michigan State Football's Storybook Rose Bowl Season Follows Amazing Script" • Best Sports: The Grand Rapids Press, "Detroit Tigers' Jim Leyland Announces Retirement as Manager" • Best Informational Graphics or Illustrations: Ed Riojas, The Flint Journal, "Imploding the Towers" • Best Informational Graphics or Illustrations: Milt Klingensmith, The Grand Rapids Press, "Detroit's Turkey Day Parade" • Best Feature Photo: Theophil Syslo, The Muskegon Chronicle, “Electric Concert.” • J. Scott Park, The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Thumbs Up for Teammates" • Best Sports Photo: Melanie Maxwell, The Ann Arbor News, “National Championship Loss” • Best Photo Story: Mark Bugnaski, Kalamazoo Gazette, “Bringing Home Sgt. Schoonhoven ” • Best Photo Story: Chris Clark, The Grand Rapids Press, "USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier Christened" • Best Video: Mark Bugnaski, Kalamazoo Gazette, “Cancer Survivor Prepares to Run Her First Kalamazoo Half Marathon.” • Best Website: The Grand Rapids Press • Best Feature Story: Heather Peters, The Muskegon Chronicle, “Muskegon Woman Shot in the Head Has Recovery That ‘Beat the Odds’.” • Best Public Service: Rex Hall Jr. and Julie Mack, Kalamazoo Gazette, “Juvenile Justice” • Best Public Service: John Barnes, The Grand Rapids Press, "Michigan Safer Even As Police Numbers Decline" • Best News Column: Scott Atkinson, The Flint Journal, “Escaped Sheep From Live Nativity Scene on the Loose in Flint” • Best Breaking News: Michelle Anderson and Justine McGuire, The Muskegon Chronicle, “Pere Marquette Park Drowning Search and Recovery” • Best Breaking News: The Grand Rapids Press, "Amber Rose Smith, 2, Goes Missing in Newaygo County, Prompting Massive Search" • Best Sustained Coverage of a Single News Event: The Flint Journal, “Record Four Tornados Carve Destruction.” • Best Investigative Reporting: Aaron Mueller and Rosemary Parker, Kalamazoo Gazette, “Meth’s Grip on Southwest Michigan” • Best Investigative Reporting: John Barnes, The Grand Rapids Press, "Michigan School Safety Flaws." • Best Enterprise Reporting: Lisa Satayut, The Jackson Citizen Patriot, "Kids Raising Kids" • Best Enterprise Reporting: Blake Thorne, The Flint Journal, “The Life of a Gun.” o General Excellence: Jackson Citizen Patriot