Judges have heaped praise on the quality of entrants in the 5th Annual NRMA Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism.
Nominees from a record field of 524 entries have been announced for all 33 competitive categories ahead of the 12 August gala presentation ceremony and winter ball at Royal Randwick.
New Kennedy Foundation chairman Simon Dulhunty said the Kennedy Awards has cemented its position as a prestigious event for celebrating the very best of Australian journalism.
ALSO: ABC journalist named 2016 Young Journalist of the Year
“The Kennedy Awards are unique … they celebrate the best of people making the best of journalism … they acknowledge the past giants who paved the way on the same night where current greats take their turn in the spotlight.”
Dulhunty has been an inaugural trustee of the Kennedy Foundation. As a former editor of Les Kennedy at The Sun-Herald, he has played a unique role in helping to build the charity and awards named in tribute to one of the greats of newspaper reporting.
“I am honoured to have been a part of the Les Kennedy story, as a colleague and editor, as a friend of his wide family, as a trustee of the Kennedy Foundation and now as chairman of a charity that runs year long giving back to journalists.”
Dulhunty thanked his predecessor Peter Kogoy for his fundraising efforts and the integral part he played in establishing the Les Kennedy Scholarship for indigenous journalism students at the University of Technology Sydney.
“Peter Kogoy captures the spirit of the Kennedy Foundation, mentoring young journalists and supporting those who have fallen on tough times,” he said.
Dulhunty said the judges were highly impressed with the caliber of entries in the 2016 Awards.
“In a massive news year the standard of submissions from all entrants is exceptional,” Dulhunty said.
Tickets for the August 12 ceremony/black-tie ball are just $190, and include a tax-deductible donation to the Kennedy Foundation, and can be purchased at kennedyawards.com.au.
The ticket covers all drinks between 7pm and 2am, and a three-course meal prepared by the ATC’s world-class chefs.
The Kennedy Foundation would like to thank all its sponsors:
NRMA Motoring and Services, Coca-Cola Amatil, Coca-Cola South Pacific, Pelikan Artline, Nine Network Australia, 9 News, A Current Affair, The Australian Turf Club, ANZ Stadium, NRMA Insurance, Seven Network, Racing NSW, The Sydney Morning Herald, City of Parramatta, Clubs NSW, Paradigm Resources, One Big Switch, Suez Australia, Hillbrick Bicycles, P&O Cruises and Salty Dingo.
Full list of Kennedy Awards finalists:
Paul Lockyer Award for Outstanding Regional Broadcast Reporting
Elysse Morgan (ABC TV); Joanna Woodburn (ABC TV); Giselle Wakatama (ABC)
Chris Watson Award for Outstanding Regional Newspaper Reporting
Donna Page and Michelle Harris (Newcastle Herald); Breanna Chillingworth (Northern Daily Leader); Andrew Pearson (Illawarra Mercury)
Les Kennedy Award for Outstanding Crime Reporting
Dan Box (The Australian); Janet Fife-Yeomans (Daily Telegraph); Allison Langdon and Rebecca Le Tourneau (60 Minutes)
Rod Allen Award for Racing Writer of the Year
Chris Roots (Sydney Morning Herald); Ray Thomas (Daily Telegraph); Felicity Nethery (WIN TV Central West)
Outstanding Turf Reporting
Andrew Webster (Sydney Morning Herald); Ray Thomas (Daily Telegraph); Matt Kelly (G1X)
Sean Flannery Award for Outstanding Radio Reporting
Giselle Wakatama (ABC); Stephanie Borys (2GB); Matthew Woolfrey (2GB)
Outstanding Radio Current Affairs Reporting and Audio Blog
Dan Box (The Australian); Ellen Fanning (ABC); Mandie Sami (ABC)
Outstanding Online Video
Nic Walker and Tony Walters (Sydney Morning Herald); Sylvia Liber (Illawarra Mercury); Bill Code (BBC Online)
Peter Frilingos Award for Outstanding Sports Reporting
Kate McClymont (Sydney Morning Herald); Nick Tabakoff (Daily Telegraph); Dan Nolan (A Current Affair)
Outstanding Travel Writing
Garry Maddox (Sydney Morning Herald); Joe Aston (Australian Financial Review); Ian Lloyd Neubauer (Australian Road Rider)
John Newfong Award for Outstanding Indigenous Affairs Reporting
Dan Box (The Australian); Ben Hills (SBS); Natasha Robinson (ABC)
2016 Young Journalist of the Year
Eryk Bagshaw (Sydney Morning Herald); Michael McGowan (Newcastle Herald); Carrie Fellner (Newcastle Herald)
Harry Potter Award for Outstanding Television News Reporting
Marc Burrows (Nine News); Robert Ovadia and Chris Maher (7 News); Rob Scott (7 News)
Outstanding Television Current Affairs Reporting (long form, over 30 minutes)
Caro Meldrum-Hanna, Clay Hichens, Mario Christodoulou (Four Corners, ABC TV); Helen Grasswill (ABC TV); Ivan O’Mahoney (ABC TV)
Outstanding Television Current Affairs Reporting (short form, under 30 minutes)
Steve Pennells, Lisa Ryan, Alex Garipoli (Sunday Night); Rebecca Le Tourneau, Allison Langdon (60 Minutes); Yvonne Sampson (The Footy Show)
Outstanding Finance Reporting
Fairfax/Four Corners; Anthony Klan, Greg Bearup (The Australian); Mandie Sami (ABC Radio PM)
Outstanding Court Reporting
Shannon Tonkin and Cydonee Mardon (Illawarra Mercury); Candace Sutton (Daily Mail); Bryan Seymour (7 News)
Outstanding Consumer Affairs Reporting
Kylar Loussikian (The Australian); Sarah Dingle, Joel Tozer, Jaya Balendra (Four Corners, ABC TV); Sophie Scott, Rebecca Armitage (7.30, ABC TV)
Peter Ruehl Award for Outstanding Columnist
Jacqueline Maley (Sydney Morning Herald); James Jeffrey (The Australian); Miranda Devine (Daily Telegraph)
Outstanding Online News Breaking
Rachel Olding (Sydney Morning Herald); Ava Benny-Morrison, Lisa Visentin, Nick Ralston (Sydney Morning Herald); James Thomas (ABC TV)
Outstanding Reporting on the Environment
Peter Hannam (Sydney Morning Herald); Donna Page and Michelle Harris (Newcastle Herald); Connor Duffy (7.30, ABC TV)
2016 Scoop of the Year
Nick Tabakoff (Daily Telegraph); Dan Nolan (A Current Affair); Michael Usher and Laura Sparkes (60 Minutes)
2016 Vince O’Farrell Award: Outstanding Illustration
Cathy Wilcox (Sydney Morning Herald); John Shakespeare (Sydney Morning Herald); Eric Lobbecke (The Australian)
Outstanding Investigative Reporting
Adele Ferguson, Klaus Toft, Mario Christodoulou (Fairfax/ABC TV); Dan Box (The Australian); Ivan O’Mahoney, Sarah Ferguson (ABC TV)
2016 Jim Oram Award: Outstanding Features Writing
Tom Allard (Sydney Morning Herald); Trent Dalton (The Australian); Paul Maley (The Australian)
Outstanding Political Reporting
Brigid Glanville (ABC News); Andrew Clennell (Daily Telegraph); David Spears (SKY News)
2016 Coca-Cola Journalist of the Year
Adele Ferguson (Fairfax/Four Corners); Nick Tabakoff (Daily Telegraph); Dan Box (The Australian)