5 Courier employees finalists in AP awards

Five Courier staff members have been named finalists in the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors' 2021 newspaper contest. The awards in actual order of finish — first, second and third places — will be announced later, along with the General Excellence, Hall of Fame, Rising Star and First Amendment winners. Finalists from The Courier include: • Zach Baker: best sports feature writer; best sports writer. • Brenna Griteman: best headline writer. • Dave Hanneman: best sports feature writer; best sports writer; best sports enterprise. • Evan Hayes: best headline writer. • Jason Smith: best full page design. Forty-eight daily newspapers submitted 1,302 entries in the contest, which featured news and sports stories, features, editorials, columns, graphics and photos from 2021. Entries were judged by editors from The Detroit News and The Detroit Free Press, Division V; The Grand Haven (Michigan) Tribune, Division IV; The Macomb Daily (Michigan), Division III; Mount Pleasant (Michigan) Morning Sun, and MLive Media Group, Division II; The Holland (Michigan) Sentinel and the Alpena (Michigan) News, Division I.