The Kennedy Foundation has announced this year’s finalists in the 34 categories of this year’s Kennedy Awards.
The awards recognise and celebrate the quality of news breaking, storytelling and creativity in the metropolitan and regional media throughout Australia.
Finalists in this year’s awards reflect the high standard of entries and the health of the media industry given the obstacles of digital disruption and pandemic faced over the last two years.
The winners of the prestigious awards will be announced at our gala awards night to be held at the Royal Randwick on the evening of August 12.
The Les Kennedy Award: Outstanding Crime Reporting
Dimity Clancey – Jessica’s Justice – A Current Affair, Nine Network
Ivan O’Mahoney, Dan Box, Kate Wild and Selena Shannon- Bloodguilt – The Many Deaths of Richard Dorrough – In Films – Audible Podcast
Mark Morri, Josh Hanrahan, Ben English and Anna Caldwell – The War – The Daily Telegraph
The S.D. Harvey Award: Short Crime StoryHarry Colfer – Number 30: Traumatic Injury
Kate Kelsen – Kindred Counsel
Kristin Murdock – The Side Hustle
The Paul Lockyer Award: Regional Broadcast Journalism
ABC North Coast Team Entry – Northern Rivers Floods – ABC North Coast
Bronwyn Herbert and Leah White- Flood Legacy- ABC North Coast
Charlotte King and Andy Burns – Regional neglect: Staff shortages blamed for ‘inexcusable’ spine-deep bedsore – ABC 7:30
The Chris Watson Award: Regional Journalism -Print and Online
Kate Mcllwain – Inside a collapsing health system – Illawarra Mercury/Australian Community Media
Joanna Woodburn – Why rural NSW is fed up and demanding a lifeline for health – ABC Online
Newcastle Herald Team – Power and the Passion – Newcastle Herald
The Sean Flannery Award: Outstanding Radio Journalism
To be announced Friday 22 July
Outstanding Podcast
Jana Wendt and Peter Waring – Deepest Dive: The Search for MH 370 – Audible Australia
Marc Fennell and Zoe Ferguson – Stuff The British Stole – ABC
Virginia Tapp, Steve Jackson, Claire Harvey and Lia Tsamoglou – My Sister’s Secrets – The Australian
The Rod Allen Award: Racing Writer of the Year
Adam Pengilly – One Ell of a Cup – The Sydney Morning Herald
Damien Ractliffe – Body of Work – The Age
Paul Tatnell – Body of Work – Racing.com
Outstanding News Photography
Asanka Brendon Ratnayake – Scotty the bulldozer – Getty Images
Chris Hopkins – Anti – The Age
John Grainger – Morning Albo -The Daily Telegraph
Outstanding Portrait Photography
Brendan Esposito – All Eyes On Us – ABC
Louie Douvis – Displacement -The Age
Silvia Liber – Fresh Wave of Leadership – Illawarra Mercury
Outstanding Sports Photography
Alex Coppel – Aquatics – News Corp
Michael Wilson – Buddy Beauty – AFL.com.au
Quinn Rooney – An Olympics Like No Other – Getty Images
Outstanding Online Video
Joshua Hanrahan and Mark Morri – “Crim City” TikTok – The Daily Telegraph
Josh Hanrahan, Ben English, Mark Morri and Anna Caldwell – The War – dailytelegraph.com.au
Trent Beattie – George Kambosos Jnr: Rise of the Emperor – Sporting News Australia
The Vince O’Farrell Award: Outstanding Cartoon
Megan Herbert – Big week for SCOTUS – The Age
Cathy Wilcox – The PM Holds a Hose – The Sydney Morning Herald
David Rowe – Road To Glasgow – The Australian Financial Review
The Cliff Neville Award: Outstanding Team Player or Mentor
Brooke Campbell – Nine.com
Glen Connley – PRIME7 Local News (now 7 News)
Mark Morri – The Daily Telegraph
Petrina Zaphir – Nine Gold Coast News/ Nine Entertainment Co.
Shauna Anderson – Nine Network / 9Honey
The Peter Frilingos Award: Outstanding Sports Reporting
Julian Linden, Selina Steele and Michael Cain – Our Secret Shame – The Daily Telegraph
Matt Logue, Michael Cain and Julian Linden – Liz Cambage Australian Opals investigation – The Daily Telegraph
Tracy Holmes – Afghanistan Rescue – ABC Online
Young Journalist of the Year
Angira Bharadwaj – Body of Work – Daily Telegraph
Brittany Chain – Body of Work – Daily Mail Australia
Kamin Gock – Body of Work – ABC
Outstanding Travel Writing
Anabel Dean – Travel -: The King’s Highway – Australian Country Magazine
Cameron Stewart – Wrecked on Great Keppel – Weekend Australian Magazine
Rachel Lees – Hiking in Australia’s healing lands – The Times UK
The John Newfong Award: Indigenous Affairs Reporting
Isaac Nowroozi – Water quality in remote NT communities – ABC News Channel, Video on Demand, 7PM & YouTube
Bridget Brennan, Andy Burns and Kirstie Wellauer – The Fight For Fishing Rights – ABC: 7:30
Brooke Fryer, Partick Forrest, Calire Aird and Sissy Reyes – Vanished: The unsolved cases of First Nations women – SBS:The Feed
The Gary Ticehurst Award: Outstanding News Camera Coverage
James Cannon – Ukraine 2022 Invasion and Russian retreat from Irpin – 7 News Australia
Ryan Grimshaw – Lismore Flood Coverage – Nine News/NBN Network
Simon Hydzik – War in Ukraine – 7NEWS Australia
The Harry Potter Award: Outstanding Television News Reporting
Carrie-Anne Greenback, Jussica Miocevich, Shellie Doyle and Elizabeth Trethowan – The War in Ukraine – Nine Network: 6PM News
Chris Reason – Frontline Ukraine – Seven News
Jerrie Demasi – WA Health Crisis – 9 News Perth
The Mike Willesee Award: Outstanding Nightly Television Current Affairs
Ella Archibald-Binge – The changing face of homelessness – ABC 7:30, ABC Online
Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Echo Hui and Martin – El Hage Smiley Daryl Maguire fraud scandal – ABC 7:30
Steve Marshall – Tiktok Doc – Nine Network: A Current Affair
The David Leckie Award: Outstanding Television Current Affairs (Long Form)
Adele Ferguson and Lauren Day – Cosmetic Cowboys – ABC: Four Corners
Denham Hitchcock, Taylor Auerbach and Mark Llewellyn – Zac Rolfe “The Shooting ” and “The Trial” – Network Seven: Spotlight
Mark Willacy, Stephanie March, Josh Roberston and Kyle Taylor – Ghosts of Timor – ABC: Four Corners
The Peter Ruehl Award: Outstanding Columnist
John Silvester – Naked City – The Age
Michael Pascoe – The Ponzi, the Pirate and the Political Pup – The New Daily
Will Swanton – Good Sports – The Australian
Outstanding Finance Reporting
Joel Tozer and Nick McKenzie – The Fallen Star – 60 Minutes Nine Network
Kate McClymont, Tom Steinfort, Michael Evans, Tracey Hannaford and Dave McMillian – Liar Liar: Melissa Caddick and the Missing Millions – The Sydney Morning Herald /60 Minutes
Max Mason and Jonathan Shapiro – Westpac’s Most Wanted: On the trail of Bill Papas and the alleged $400 million fraud – The Australian Financial Review
Outstanding Consumer Affairs Reporting
Adele Ferguson and Joel Tozer – Bad Look – Exposing the dark underbelly of the cosmetic surgery industry – 60 Minutes Nine Network
Amy Bainbridge and Lucy Kent – Cryptocurrency scams target Australians – ABC: 7:30
Elise Potaka, Marc Fennell, Dean Bosche and Patrick Forrest – Cracking Crypto – SBS TV – The Feed
Outstanding Court and Legal Affairs Reporting
Fiona Harari – Beyond Belief – The Weekend Australian Magazine
Paul Ferrell and Alex McDonald – Gladys Berejeklian – ABC 7:30
The Background Briefing Team Entry – Scientists Vs The Law – ABC Background Briefing
Outstanding Online News Breaking
Lachlan Heywood, Felicity Hetherington, Kevin Airs, Mike Colman and Will Mottram – Shane Warne Death – Daily Mail Australia
Mark Morri and Josh Hanrahan – Sydney’s gang war – The Daily Telegraph
Samantha Maiden – Election Coverage – news.com.au
Outstanding Reporting on the Environment
Aneeta Bhole and Amy Gunia – Energy Poverty in the Northern Territory – Time Magazine (online/print) + SBS World News (tv, radio, online)
Micheal Slezak, Mark Doman, Laura Kewley, Alex Palmer and Katia Shatoba – VicForests logged illegally and spied on opponent – ABC 7:30
Newcastle Herald Team Entry – Power and Passion – Newcastle Herald
The Rebecca Wilson Award: Scoop of the Year
Brittany Chain – Unmasking Cleo Smith’s kidnapper – Daily Mail Australia
Stephen Drill and Chris Tinkler – Tim Paine sext saga – The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, Courier Mail, Adelaide Advertiser
Taylor Auerbach, Mark Llewellyn, Michael Usher and John Varga – Melissa Caddick: The Vanishing – Network Seven: Spotlight
Outstanding Investigative Reporting
Adele Ferguson, Lauren Day and Klaus Toft – Cosmetic Cowboys – ABC: Four Corners and Nine Publications
Anne Connolly, Ali Russell and Stephanie Zillman – State Control – ABC: Four Corners
Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop and Echo Hui – Gladys Berejiklian corruption scandal – ABC News Digital
The Jim Oram Award: Outstanding Feature Writing
Amber Schulz – The conspiracy community: Canberra protesters united in alienation and anger – Crickey
Andrew McMillen – Daniel Johns profile – The Weekend Australian Magazine
Tim Elliott – Knives Out – Good Weekend Magazine
Outstanding Political Reporting
ABC’s Hidden Campaign Team- The Hidden Campaign – ABC News
Lucy Cormack and Alex Smith – The Barilaro NYC saga – The Sydney Morning Herald
Tracy Grimshaw – Scott Morrison Interview – Nine Network: A Current Affair
The Tom Krause Award: Outstanding Foreign Correspondent
Ben Lewis – Ukraine Crisis – SBS World News
Daryna Zadvirna – My Ukraine – The West Australian
Tom Steinfort, Sheree Gibson, Laura Sparkes, Luke Wilson, Mathew Brown, Andrew Page and Renee Hudson – The President – Nine Network: 60 Minutes