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Women's Leadership in Media Prize

Enter now: 2025 entries close 14 April

Women’s Leadership in Media Prize honours women who are making an outstanding journalistic contribution to gender equality and the visibility of women in society – both in Australia and on a global scale.

It celebrates reporting that demonstrates notable innovation, enterprise or courage in raising awareness of women’s experiences and perspectives, and reflects the significance of media coverage in altering perceptions, challenging stereotypes and fighting misinformation.

Submissions are open to women working in both mainstream or alternative media. Entries may be pieces by individuals or collaborative projects.

Eligibility for the Women’s Leadership in Media Prize is based on independent acts of journalism, free from any commercial or corporate interests.

Entries may be a single piece or a body of work of up to three pieces. All forms of media are accepted. All entries must have been published or broadcast and available in Australia between April 16, 2024 and April 14, 2025.

Each entry to the Mid-Year Media Prizes is judged on how well it responds to:

  • the category description; and
  • judging criteria.

For more information on how judging works, including the judging criteria, please refer to the FAQs.

Your entry must comply with the Terms & Conditions.

Entry Support

If you have any further questions, please contact: margie.smithurst@walkleys.com 

Proudly supported by:

 

2024 Winners

Jess Hill and Tosca Looby, Northern Pictures / SBS / The Monthly, ‘Asking for it’ (Episode 2, Episode 3); ‘How to Change a Bad Law‘

2023 Winner

Sherele Moody, NT News and other News Corp outlets, “She Matters: Telling the stories of women lost to violence”  (1, 2, 3)

2022 Winners

Sally Sara and Victoria Pengilley, RN Breakfast and The World Today, ABC Radio, “Taliban interview” “Shukria Barakzai” and “Hasina Safi”

“Sally Sara and Victoria Pengilley combined to secure three extraordinary exclusives, painting an unparalleled picture of the plight of Afghan women last year. Meticulously researched, Sara’s interviews exposed the fear, pain and loss felt by women after the fall of Kabul. Her personal courage and composure in directly confronting the Taliban leadership also exemplifies the journalism honoured by this award.”

Sally Sara is an award-winning journalist, writer and author. She has reported from more than 40 countries as a foreign correspondent with the ABC, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone. Sally has won two Walkley Awards – one for her television reporting on the famine in Somaliland, the other for radio coverage of the fall of Kabul. She has twice been a finalist in the Graham Perkin Award for Australian Journalist of the Year.  She has won four UN Media Awards and been nominated for AACTA and Logie Awards. Sally has written for the New York Times and Boston Globe. In 2011, Sally was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia, AM, for service to journalism and the community.

 

Victoria Pengilley is a reporter and producer with RN Breakfast, Radio National’s flagship current affairs program. She previously worked with the ABC’s audio current affairs programs AM, PM and the World Today. She completed a BA in Communications (Journalism) with the University of Technology Sydney in 2021.

Past winners of the prize for Women’s Leadership in Media