ACM Excellence Awards celebrate regional Australia’s best journalism in 2022.
Photojournalist Cathy Adams of the Lismore City News won the top honour for her coverage of the floods that devastated her town earlier this year.
Presented in Sydney, the annual ACM Excellence Awards recognise the most outstanding news and sports coverage, commentary and commercial content produced by the newspapers and websites of the independent ACM network, Australia’s largest publisher of regional news.
Adams won the Gold ACM Excellence award for her outstanding coverage of one of Australia’s worst flooding disasters in early 2022 and her consistently tenacious reporting for the Lismore community in northern NSW.
Adams lost her own car to the floodwaters and was working without power or heating in the aftermath, but ventured into the disaster zone to share stories of heroism and heartache which were read across Australia.
Alex Waislitz, ACM’s co-owner, presented Adams with her award and said her work as the disaster unfolded around her showed “true grit, determination, tenacity and ingenuity”.
“In the days and weeks and months after, and through both words and photos, she has told stories of courage, survival, recovery and rebuilding,” Waislitz said.
Lismore City News, a local news website and weekly printed newspaper launched by ACM just 12 months ago, also won the ACM Excellence Award for Non-Daily Masthead of the Year for its consistently courageous and compassionate coverage of its community before, during and after the floods.
Greg Best and Rachael Houlihan
The Standard, in Warrnambool in Victoria’s south-west, was named Daily Masthead of the Year, with editor Greg Best and deputy editor Rachael Houlihan accepting the award at Wednesday night’s black-tie presentation ceremony.
The Standard, one of ACM’s 14 daily titles serving Canberra and key regional population centres, celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2022.
Queensland Country Life, which this year along with ACM’s other weekly specialist titles serving Australia’s important rural and farm audiences successfully launched subscriber websites and apps, won Best Agricultural Masthead.
ACM managing director Tony Kendall said: “Regional journalism is the glue that holds our towns together but is often overlooked by a city-focussed media industry when it comes to awards.
“Our editorial staff are breaking news every day in every state and territory of Australia, keeping their communities informed and entertained.
“The local journalism of people like Cathy Adams, who stands shoulder to shoulder with her readers through highs and devastating lows, is vital to a healthy, strong regional Australia.”
Canberra Times court reporter Blake Foden’s global exclusive on tennis star Nick Kyrgios being charged with assault was the Best Daily News Story of the Year.
Bendigo Advertiser photographer Darren Howe’s nail-biting image of a dramatic helicopter rescue of campers stuck on their vehicle’s roof was the year’s Best Daily News Photo.
Among the commercial content categories, The Rural Guide to a Healthy Mind published by ACM agricultural titles to support mental health in farming communities was the Magazine of the Year.
Alanna Tomazin was named Young Journalist of the Year for her community news reporting for the Lithgow Mercury and Port Stephens Examiner, as well as her contribution to the ACM network’s innovative national series, Young and Regional: Find Me a Home.
Full list of 2022 ACM Excellence Awards winners
Gold ACME Winner: Cathy Adams, Lismore City News
Young Journalist of the Year Winner: Alanna Tomazin, Port Stephens Examiner
Masthead of the Year – Daily Winner: The Standard, Warrnambool
Masthead of the Year – Non-Daily Winner: Lismore City News
Masthead of the Year – Agricultural Winner: Queensland Country Life
Editorial Director’s Award for Digital Leadership Winner: Gayle Tomlinson, Janine Graham and the Illawarra Mercury newsroom
Trainee of the Year Winner: Rosie Bensley, Illawarra Mercury
Mentor of the Year Winner: Samantha Townsend, The Land
Audience Engagement Award Winner: Hayley Warden, Julia Wythes and Ashley Walmsley for “Farmers Watching Farmers Wanting Wives”.
Team Innovation and Collaboration Winner: Illawarra Mercury, UCI World Championships coverage
Best Use of Multimedia Winner: Emma Horn, COVID-19 explainer
Campaign of the Year Winner: Power and the Passion, Newcastle Herald
Comment Piece of the Year Winner: Annie Hesse, Katherine Times
Feature Story of the Year Winner: Nicholas McGrath, Central Western Daily
Daily News Story of the Year Winner: Blake Foden, The Canberra Times
Daily Sport Story of the Year Winner: James Gardiner, Newcastle Herald
Non-Daily News Story of the Year Winner: Sarah Falson, Hawkesbury Gazette
Non-Daily Sport Story of the Year Winner: Lachlan Harper, Macleay Argus
Agricultural News Story of the Year Winner: Quinton McCallum, Stock Journal
Property Story of the Year Winner: Brittney Levinson, The Canberra Times
Production of the Year Winner: graphic designer Josh Hall
Sell of the Year Winner: Samantha Townsend, The Land
Daily News Photo of the Year Winner: Darren Howe, Bendigo Advertiser
Daily Sport Photo of the Year Winner: Adam McLean, Illawarra Mercury
Non-Daily Photo of the Year Winner: Scott Calvin, Manning River Times
Agricultural News Photo of the Year Winner: Kelly Butterworth, North Queensland Register
Magazine of the Year Winner: Robyn Ainsworth, The Rural Guide to a Healthy Mind
Commercial Feature of the Year Winner: Linley Wilkie, Warrnambool’s Jericho Cup
Paid Content Campaign Winner: Rosie Ryan, Memory, Walk & Jog campaign for Dementia Australia
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Top image: Cathy Adams