LANSING — Leader Publications and its associated products earned recognition from the Michigan Press Association in seven categories for this year’s Better Newspaper Contest.

Awards include:

• First place: Spot news story, daily newspaper — Carbon monoxide package (“Witnesses recount how tragedy unfolded” by Kelsey Hammon; “CO leak claims life of 13-year-old boy” by Ambrosia Neldon)
• First place: Best photo, daily newspaper — Adoption Day, by Ted Yoakum
• First place: Best sports photo, weekly newspaper — Edwardsburg wins district, by Tim Ritter/Scott Novak
• Second place: Best special section — Horizons
• Second place: Best page design — Horizons
• Honorable mention: Spot news story, daily newspaper — “March madness” (tornado coverage) by Kelsey Hammon
• Honorable mention: Best page design, weekly newspaper — “#HaileyStrong,” by Ambrosia Neldon and Sarah Culton

“Our team is committed to producing quality, engaging and dynamic content for the readers of southwest Michigan,” said Ambrosia Neldon, general manager at Leader Publications. “We are fortunate to have a talented team of individuals and an engaged community that supports its local newspapers.”

The 2017 contest covered entries published between Aug. 1, 2016 and July 31, 2017. Awards were presented during the Michigan Press Association’s annual convention, hosted in Lansing this week in honor of the association’s 150^th anniversary.

Judges evaluated nearly 3,000 entries submitted by 100 Michigan newspapers to select the winners.

“We look forward to continuing to improve our news products to provide residents of Niles, Buchanan, Dowagiac, Cassopolis and Edwardsburg with important information about the people, places, businesses and organizations that make our area the outstanding place it is to live,” Neldon said.