Free Press journalists honored with top photo awards, Hall of Fame inductions
At the Michigan Press Photographers Association's (MPPA) annual conference, held April 11–12 at Wayne State University, Free Press photographers earned top honors and brought home 20 awards. Meanwhile, six former Free Press staffers were inducted Sunday into the Hall of Fame for their lasting impact on Michigan journalism.
For the third consecutive time, Free Press Photographer Ryan Garza was named Photographer of the Year, while Kimberly P. Mitchell placed second in the category.
The MPPA celebrates excellence in visual journalism across the state through its annual contest, conference and student scholarships.
In individual categories, David Rodríguez Muñoz won first place in Sports Picture Story for 'Facing the World Again: Derek's Journey,' which captures the recovery of Derek Pfaff, a former high school football star who received a face transplant a decade after surviving a suicide attempt.
Mandi Wright took first place in the News Story category for 'RIP Officer Mohamed Said,' covering the funeral of the 23-year-old Melvindale officer who was killed in the line of duty in July 2024.
Mitchell also earned first place in Feature Picture for 'Taste the Snow,' and Garza won first place in Spot News for 'Let Him Go.'
Additional MPPA awards for Free Press photographers included:
Feature Picture Story, third place: Kimberly P. Mitchell, 'Space Dive'
Sports Portfolio, honorable mention: Junfu Han
Sports Action, second place: Junfu Han, 'Safe at Third'
Sports Feature, third place: Junfu Han
News Story, second place: David Rodríguez Muñoz, 'Watch Me'
Portrait Personality, second place: Ryan Garza, 'A Little Hope'
Portrait Personality, honorable mention: Kimberly P. Mitchell, 'To Be a Voter, Young and Black'
Campaign News, second place: Mandi Wright, 'Abandon Biden'
Campaign News, third place: Audrey Richardson
Feature Picture, honorable mention: Kimberly P. Mitchell, 'Beauty Within'
Spot News, third place: David Rodríguez Muñoz, 'Protest in Downtown Detroit'
Spot News, honorable mention: Ryan Garza, 'Surrounded'
General News, honorable mention: Mandi Wright, 'Cuffed Contrition'
Personal Vision, third place: David Rodríguez Muñoz, 'Floyd'
Free Press alumni Alex Cruden, Kirthmon F. Dozier, Daymon J. Hartley, Dorothy Journey, Keith Owens and David Zeman were among 11 journalists inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame class of 2025 on April 13 at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing.
The Hall of Fame also inducted Cynthia Canty, John Flesher, Cindy Goodaker, Pat Rencher and Jam Sardar.
Cruden started at the Free Press in 1973 and spent 35 years as an editor and manager who polished the newspaper's marquee journalism. He has written case studies, taught public affairs reporting at Wayne State University and led workshops and seminars for news media companies and writing and editing organizations across the U.S. since leaving the Freep.
Dozier spent 30 years at the Free Press and was the man behind the camera for Detroit Pistons' championships, Red Wings' Stanley Cups and even Miguel Cabrera's final day as a Tiger. He worked at the Free Press from 1995 until January 2024, when he died. His son, Kirthmon Dozier Jr., accepted the award on his behalf.
Hartley is known for his photos of social issues and overseas combat stories in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Palestine and Israel. He worked at the Free Press from 1983 to July 1995 and was named Michigan Press Photographer of the Year in 1990.
Jurney worked at the Free Press from 1959-1973, transforming the women's section from club notices and recipes to hard news about the women's movement and other issues facing society at the time. She was the first female board member of the Associated Press Managing Editors organization.
Owens wrote for the Free Press editorial page from 1993-2000 and returned as a freelance contributing columnist in 2023. Owens served as the editor of the Michigan Chronicle from 2003-06 and 2015-18. Owens co-founded Detroit Stories Quarterly and the We Are Speaking Substack newsletter and podcast.
Zeman was an investigative reporter and editor at the Free Press for 20 years and oversaw the paper's Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Zeman was senior editor of Bridge Michigan from 2013-2024.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Free Press journalists earn top photo awards, Hall of Fame inductions
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