The Walkley Foundation is delighted to announce the finalists for our 2020 Mid-Year Celebration of Journalism.
Peer-judged and selected on the basis of journalistic excellence, the Mid-Year Celebration suite includes the Young Australian Journalist of the Year Awards, June Andrews Award for Industrial Relations Reporting, June Andrews Award for Freelance Journalist of the Year, June Andrews Award for Women’s Leadership in Media, Our Watch Award, Media Diversity Australia Award, June Andrews Award for Arts Journalism and The Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism.
Winners will be announced at the (virtual) Mid-Year Celebration of Journalism on June 17.
In each award below, the finalists are listed in alphabetical order.
Young Australian Journalist of the Year Awards
These awards recognise the hard work of our most outstanding young Australian journalists. They reward the efforts of journalists aged 28 and under who demonstrate excellence in the fundamental tenets of the profession, as well as the ability to present distinctive and original journalism that pushes the boundaries of the craft.
All media: Shortform journalism
Supported by ABC
- Natassia Chrysanthos, The Sydney Morning Herald, “New Year’s Eve bushfire coverage”
- Michael Fowler, The Age, “Travel ban prevented Chinese mum from seeing dying son – then government grants visa exemption”
- Luke Henriques-Gomes, Guardian Australia, “Robodebt leaks expose botched scheme’s failure”
All media: Longform feature or special
Supported by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
- Ella Archibald-Binge, The Feed, SBS Viceland, “Australia’s stolen wages shame”
- Avani Dias, Hack, triple j, ABC, “The colleague, the girl, the police: Student framed and imprisoned over terror offences tells whole story for the first time”
- Amber Schultz, Crikey Inq, “Celibacy and obedience: life inside a seminary”
All media: Coverage of community and regional affairs
Supported by Google News Initiative
- Matt Bamford, ABC Online, PM, ABC Radio, ABC News WA, “Balgo”
- Chantelle Francis, The Weekly Times, “Animal activists”
- Sherryn Groch, The Canberra Times, “Culture of fear: Canberra private school engulfed by bullying allegations”
All media: Visual storytelling
Supported by Sky News
- Dion Georgopoulos, The Canberra Times, “Australian Bushfire Coverage”
- Tom Joyner, 7.30, ABC, “Australia’s summer of fires”
- Marty Smiley, SBS TV On Demand and Online, “Christian Democratic Party”
All media: Public service journalism
Supported by News Corp Australia
- Annabel Hennessy, The West Australian, “Kill or Be Killed?: The incarceration of Jody Gore”
- Luke Henriques-Gomes, Guardian Australia, “Reporting on Australia’s welfare system”
- Marty Smiley, SBS TV On Demand and Online, “Service to migrant community”
All media: Student journalist of the year
Supported by Macleay College
- Nibir Khan, University of Queensland and ABC, “Rohingya refugee families torn apart as loved ones trapped on opposite sides of the world
- Andre Nassiri, University of New South Wales and newsworthy.org.au, “The dark side of Africa’s ‘poster child’” and “Who wins when Rwanda plays the ‘genocide guilt card’”
- Andrea Thiis-Evensen, Monash University, Mojo News and ABC News, “‘It was the worst day of our lives’: Bereaved parents say we must talk about youth suicide,” and “Melbourne women claim they are being targeted by fake rideshare drivers”
Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year
Supported by Jibb Foundation
The winner of each category will be in the running for the overall Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year Award. The winner will receive a two-week trip to US newsrooms (flights included) and a mentorship program to boost their career. In 2020 this prize will include placements at Buzzfeed, The New York Times, Columbia Journalism Review and Quartz Media.
June Andrews Award for Industrial Relations Reporting
(in memory of Helen O’Flynn and Alan Knight)
Supported by Ai Group, Unions NSW, ACTU, UTS and MEAA
With philanthropic support provided in memory of Emeritus Professor Alan Knight
- Adele Ferguson, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, “Grill’d accused of using traineeships to exploit workers”
- Ben Schneiders and Nick McKenzie, The Age, “John Setka, domestic violence and the unions”
- Ben Schneiders and Royce Millar, The Age, “Anatomy of wage theft”
June Andrews Award for Freelance Journalist of the Year
Supported by Media Super
- Johanna Bell, StoryProjects, “BIRDS EYE VIEW”
- Nina Funnell, News.com.au, The Mercury and NT News, “Let Her Speak”
- Karishma Vyas, 101 East – Al Jazeera English and Foreign Correspondent, ABC “The War on Afghan Women,” “Afghanistan: The Healers” and “Behind Enemy Lines”
June Andrews Award for Women’s Leadership in Media
Supported by PwC
- Belinda Hawkins and Angela Leonardi, Australian Story, ABC, “An Innocent Abroad”
- Joanna Lester, Madeleine Hetherton and Rebecca Barry, Media Stockade, NITV and SBS On Demand, “Power Meri”
- Inga Ting and ABC team, ABC News, “Rough justice: How police are failing survivors of sexual assault”
Our Watch Award
Administered by The Walkley Foundation
- Nina Funnell, News.com.au, The Mercury and NT News, “Let Her Speak”
- Annabel Hennessy, The West Australian, “Kill or Be Killed? The First Chapter: The incarceration of Jody Gore”
- Kathy Marks, The Weekend Australian Magazine, “Solomon Islands battles epidemic of family violence”
Media Diversity Australia Award
Supported by Media Diversity Australia, CoHealth and The National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters’ Council
- Johanna Bell and The Birds Eye View Team, StoryProjects, “BIRDS EYE VIEW”
- Mahmood Fazal and Rebecca Metcalf, Audible Originals, “No Gangsters in Paradise”
- Corrin Grant and Michael Hing, SBS, “Where Are You Really From?”
Arts Journalism Prizes
Through the support of the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund, the winner of each award will receive $5000 in prize money.
All media: June Andrews Award for Arts Journalism
Supported by Facebook and the Copyright Agency
- Hagar Cohen and the Background Briefing Team, Background Briefing, ABC, “Under the Hammer”
- Steve Dow, Meanjin, The Saturday Paper and Guardian Australia “Stream Drama,” “Acts of Faith” and “A Buŋgul, a Procession, An Overnight Vigil”
- Rosemary Neill, The Australian, “Brought to book: universities’ new cultural cringe”
All media: The Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism, managed by the Walkley Foundation
Supported by the Geraldine Pascall Foundation and the Copyright Agency
- Jack Callil, The Lifted Brow, “You But Not: A Review of Esmé Weijun Wang’s The Collected Schizophrenias”
- Melinda Harvey, Sydney Review of Books, “Verisimilitude”
- Mireille Juchau, newyorker.com and The Monthly, “How Dreams Change Under Authoritarianism,” “Twilight Knowing: Jenny Offill’s Weather” and “Missing Witnesses: Valeria Luiselli’s Lost Children’s Archive”
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Media queries: Ana Neves, ana.neves@walkleys.com | +61 416 727 617
