Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Traverse City Record-Eagle Entry Title: Sierra Clark Entry Credit: Sierra Clark Judge Comment: Beautiful word pictures. Deeply personal, informative, and packed with emotion. The first-person account is the kind that gives readers chills.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: The Flint Journal Entry Title: Isis Simpson-Mersha of the Flint Journal for the best feature writing category Entry Credit: Isis Simpson-Mersha Judge Comment: Beautifully written. Compelling stories, well told. Isis sets the scene, then gets out of the way and lets the subject tell his or her own story with emotion. I especially am drawn to the Michael Thompson and Derek Pfaff stories.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: The Flint Journal Entry Title: Jake May of The Flint Journal for the best writing category Entry Credit: Jake May Judge Comment: Strong leads. Compelling stories. Great quotes. Beautifully written and woven together. Dramatic. Real attention-grabbers told well.
