The organisers of the Kennedy Awards have reported it’s been more exacting than Olympic trials to narrow down the finalists for the 2024 celebration of excellence in journalism.
The number of entries this year surged to a record 1,014. That number smashed last year’s record of 720.
The organisers added the standard of entries across the board was exceptional. “There have been many a tied vote as our 96 indefatigable judges ploughed through the mass of entries,” they commented.
The judges worked across 37 different categories ahead of the 2024 event.
Nominations this year include multiple for Nine’s streaming platform Stan, which has two of the three finalists in the Outstanding Documentary category.
Former editor-in-chief of The Australian Christopher Dore has been nominated for his columns at his new home The Nightly.
Familiar names, among them several former winners, who have received multiple nominations this year include John Lyons, Chris Reason, Samantha Maiden, Ray Thomas, Hedley Thomas, and Nick McKenzie.
The announcement of the winners is now less than two weeks away. Ticket holders will gather in The Ballroom of the Royal Randwick on Friday 16 August to celebrate the winners.
The judges also noted: “Our industry may being facing tough times but our journalists are still killing it with the very best work.”
See also: 2023 Kennedy Awards – All the winners for excellence in journalism
Multiple 2023 award winners Edmund Tadros and Neil Chenoweth from The AFR
2024 KENNEDY AWARDS FINALISTS
ALL MEDIA
Indigenous Affairs Reporting
Caroline Graham, Kylie Stevenson and Tilda Colling – NT Schools in Crisis – The Australian
Four Corners Guarded Team – Guarded – Four Corners, ABC
Lorena Allam, Sarah Collard and Blake Sharp-Wiggins – Buried Lives: Possible Clandestine Burials at an Aboriginal Children’s Home – The Guardian
Outstanding Cartoon
Cathy Wilcox – Solid Ground – Nine Network & The Sydney Morning Herald
Jim Pavlidis – Mowed Down – Nine Publishing
Megan Herbert – Not Fit for Purpose – The Age & The Sydney Morning Herald
Outstanding Consumer Affairs
Christopher Knaus and Lorena Allam – Centrepay: A Vehicle for Economic Abuse? – The Guardian
Elise Worthington and Lesley Robinson – Ozempic Underground – Four Corners, ABC
Nassim Khadem – Whiff of Robodebt: ATO Revives Old Tax Debts Totaling Billions – ABC News
Outstanding Court and Legal Affairs Reporting
Paul Garvey and Rhiannon Down – Direction 99 Debacle – The Australian
Samantha Maiden, Kerry Warren, Lisa Muxworthy and Alexandra Foster – The Lehrmann Trials – news.com.au
Tiffiny Genders – Police Secrets – Nine News
Outstanding Crime Reporting
Brenden Hills, Heath Kelly and Ankit Mishra – The Baddest: Sydney’s Apex Predator Unmasked – The Saturday Telegraph & The Sunday Telegraph
Liam Mendes – On the Ground of a Youth Crime Crisis – The Australian
Phil Goyen, Sarah Greenhalgh and Ben Fogarty – Sextortion: Teens, Tech and Tragedy – 7 News
Outstanding Finance Reporting
Angus Grigg, Elise Potaka, Carla Hildebrandt and Dylan Welch – Super Power – Four Corners, ABC
Michael Atkin and Loretta Florance – Dirty Money: How Criminals are Getting Away with Laundering Stolen Cash Through Australian Companies – Special Reporting Team – ABC
Neil Chenoweth – Cracking the Tax Office Omerta – The Australian Financial Review
Outstanding Foreign Correspondent
Amanda Hodge – Southeast Asia Stories -The Australian
Colin Cosier – Finding Yusuf: Part 1 and 2 – SBS
John Lyons – The Forever War – Four Corners, ABC
Outstanding Investigative Reporting
Chris Reason – The Bishop of Broome – Seven News
Paul Garvey and Rhiannon Down – Direction 99 Debacle – The Australian
Samantha Maiden – Pay you cash: Spotlight’s Trial and Error – news.com.au
Outstanding Online News Breaking
9News Bondi Junction Attack Team – Bondi Junction Attack – Nine News
Samantha Maiden, Kerry Warren, Lisa Muxworthy, Ally Foster and Liz Bourke – The Lehrmann Trials – news.com.au
The Sydney Morning Herald Newsroom – Bondi Junction Coverage – The Sydney Morning Herald online & across Nine Publishing
Outstanding Political Reporting
Andrew Probyn & Bailey Kenzie – The Immigration Directive – Nine Network
Ewin Hannan – John Setka vs the AFL – The Australian
Paul Garvey and Rhiannon Down – Direction 99 Debacle – The Australian
Outstanding Reporting on Human Rights, Social or Religious Affairs
Alexi Demetriadi – Hate Speech in NSW – The Australian
Four Corners Guarded Team – Guarded – Four Corners ABC
Linton Besser, Ronan Sharkey and Brendan Esposito – Rainbow Lodge – ABC
Outstanding Reporting on the Environment
Daniel Clarke – Kangaroo Island Environmental Disaster – Ad Hoc Docs, Foxtel/Binge, The Guardian, Network 7
Kamin Gock, Angus Grigg and Lesley Robinson – Snowy 2.0 and The $2 Billion Mistake – ABC
Sean Mantesso, Hellena Souisa, Sally Brooks and Raffa Athallah – The Price of Progress: Inside Indonesia’s Nickel Rush – ABC
Outstanding Sport Reporting
Jeremy Story Carter – She Can Play – ABC
Julian Linden – Under the Surface – The Daily Telegraph
Tom Decent – The Secret Zoom Call That Brought Down a Wallabies Coach – The Sydney Morning Herald & The Age
Outstanding 3 Headlines
Jakeb Waddell – AH, KANE HAS DONE IT AGAIN, NO CHANCE IN VFL, TAKES ONE TO NO.1- The West Australian & Seven West Media
Jason Walls – THE CREPES OF WRATH, THE WRIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT, COPS PICK RACE-ISM CAR – NT News
James Silver – YOU WANNA PIZZA ME?, HEENEY MEANIE MIGHTY SHOW, SACRE BLEURGH – News Corp
Outstanding Team Player or Mentor
Gareth Harvey – Nine Network
John Lyons – ABC
Kathryn Wicks – The Sydney Morning Herald
Scoop of the Year
Andrew Probyn and Bailey Kenzie – The Immigration Directive – Nine Network
Clementine Cuneo, Mark Morri and Josh Hanrahan – A killer in the ranks: Cop Wanted Over Paddington Double Murder – The Daily Telegraph|
Nick McKenzie, Michael Bachelard and Amelia Ballinger – Pezzullo Text Scandal – 60 Minutes, The Age & The Sydney Morning Herald
Regional Broadcast Reporting
Daniel Clarke – Kangaroo Island Body of Work – Ad Hoc Docs, Foxtel/Binge, The Guardian,Network 7
Micaela Hambrett and Joanna Woodburn – Dust Up, Cadia Gold Mine Investigation – ABC
Toni Ambrogetti and Michael Evans – Grooming and sexual abuse of Narrabri student Dean Gray uncovered – NBN/Nine
Student Journalist of the Year
Chloe Bell – The University of Queensland
Jonathan Weitz-Freeman – University of Technology Sydney
Yasmine Alwakal – University of Technology Sydney
Young Journalist of The Year
Bailey Kenzie – Body of Work – Nine News, The Sydney Morning Herald & The Age
Ellie Dudley – The judges’ war with the DPP – The Australian, News Corp |
Gillian Lantouris – Body of Work – Nine News, The Sydney Morning Herald & The Age
PRINT/TEXT
Outstanding Columnist
Annabel Crabb – Hitting A Nerve: Three Columns – ABC
Christopher Dore – The Front Dore – The Nightly, Seven West Media
John Silvester – Melbourne Crime – The Age
Outstanding Feature Writing
Bill Ormonde – Out of the Darkness – ABC Landline and ABC online
John Lyons – Body of Work – ABC News and ABC online
Tim Elliot – Eyes on the Prize – Good Weekend Magazine, Nine Publishing
Outstanding Travel Writing
Catherine Marshall – Prime Mates – The Sunday Age
Fiona Harari – Budapest, Magda and Me – The Australian
Tracey Croke – Silicone Boobs, Queer History and Sydney’s best LGBTQIA+ bars with Kiama Blowhole – Adventure.com
Racing Writer of the Year
Ben Dorries – Damien Oliver” The GOAT” retirement exclusive + body of work – News Corp
Ray Thomas – Tom Magnier – Revealing interview and feature story – News Corp
Ray Thomas – Storm Boy and his group of eclectic owners aiming for Golden Slipper glory – News Corp
Outstanding Digital Innovation
Alex Lim, Katia Shatoba and Thomas Brettell – The Mullet is Alive and Well in AFL – ABC News
Hedley Thomas and The Australian Podcast Team – Bronwyn – The Australian
The Visual Stories Team, Use of AI – The Sydney Morning Herald & The Age
Regional Reporting Print and Online
Madeline Link – Bullying, forgery, lying’: ex-volunteers claims against What Were You Wearing? Australia – Newcastle Herald/Australian Community Media
Oliver Jacques – $32 million Griffith tax fraud – Region Media Group
Tijana Birdjan, Dan Proudman and Jake McCallum – DV Horror – The Dubbo News, News Corp
KENNEDY AWARDS TELEVISION/VIDEO
Outstanding News Camera Coverage
Fletcher Yeung – Volunteer Doctors Evacuate Wounded Soldiers in Ukraine – ABC News
Nine News Camera Team – Coverage of Bondi Stabbings – Nine News
Paul Peric – Murdered in Mexico: Callum and Jake Robinson – Nine News
Outstanding Nightly Television Current Affairs Reporting
Hannah Sinclair – NDIS Investigation – A Current Affair, & Nine Network
Alison Piotrowski – Murdered in Mexico: Callum & Jake Robinson – Nine News
Peta Credlin – Unearthing the Full Uluru Statement – Sky News Australia
Outstanding Television Current Affairs Reporting – Long Form
Agnes Teek and Colin Cosier – Finding Yusuf – Dateline, SBS
Amelia Ballinger and Nick McKenzie – The Power Player, 60 Minutes, Nine Network
Anne Connolly, Amy Donaldson and Jessica Longbottom – Careless- Four Corners, ABC
Outstanding Television News Reporting
Ben Lewis – October 7 Attacks – SBS World News
Chris Reason – Israel-Hamas War – 7 News
9News & Current Affairs Team- Nine News breaking/rolling coverage of Bondi Stabbings – Nine Network
Outstanding Documentary
Dora Weekley, Orly Danon, Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters – Revealed: Ben Roberts-Smith Truth on Trial – Stan
7 News Digital Team – The Devils Outback Playground – 7 Plus and YouTube
Katrina McGowan, Janine Hosking, Mat Cornwell and Carrie Fellner – How to Poison a Planet – Stan
AUDIO JOURNALISM
Outstanding Podcast
Hedley Thomas and The Australian Podcast Team- Bronwyn – The Australian
Michael Bachelard, Ruby Schwartz – Trial By Water – The Sydney Morning Herald & The Age
Paul Farrell, Mario Christodoulou, Benjamin Sveen, Leila Shunnar and Ingrid Wagner – Stop and Search – Background Briefing, ABC
Outstanding Radio News and Current Affairs
Allyson Horn – Israel/Gaza – ABC News
Ben Fordham, Mark Levy, Will Bottom and the 2GB team- Bondi Junction Attacks – 2GB Sydney
Peter Ryan – Demise of the Flying Kangaroo. Sacked Qantas workers win David vs Goliath battle, airline’s reputational crisis deepens. – The World Today, ABC News Daily – ABC Digital & ABC Radio
PHOTOGRAPHY
Outstanding News Photography
Karim Bauer and Ben McDonald – Westfield Bondi Stabbings: Aftermath of Terror – Matrix Media Group
Mick Tsikas – Tears for Albo – Australian Associated Press
Patrick Hamilton – Bondi Westfield Tragedy: Mother of a Mass Murderer – Daily Mail Australia
Outstanding Portrait Photography
Steve Robson – Rohan Thomson – (Freelancer) The Australian
Jonathan Carroll – Big Dan – The Newcastle Herald/Australian Community Media
Eddie Jim – Fighting, Not Sinking – The Age & The Sydney Morning Herald
Outstanding Sports Photography
Robert Cianflone – Matildas Mania – Getty Images
Nick Moir – Birdsville Rodeo – The Sydney Morning Herald
Eddie Jim – Light and Shadow – The Age
Top photo: 2023 Kennedy Award winners