Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism: 2019 nominees revealed

• Award winners will be announced at a gala dinner on Thursday November 28, at the ICC Ballroom in Sydney.

Finalists in the 64th annual Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism were announced Thursday at simultaneous events in Sydney and Melbourne. Journalists around Australia submitted over 1,300 entries, which were judged by more than 100 senior industry representatives.

The finalists for the 2019 Nikon-Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism and the Walkley Documentary Award were announced last week. Finalists for the Business Journalism category were announced on Wednesday October 15.

Award winners will be announced at a gala dinner on Thursday November 28, at the ICC Ballroom in Sydney.

 The awards will be broadcast live on Sky News Extra (Foxtel Channel 604) and streamed on the Walkley website (walkleys.com) from 7.30pm.

2019 Walkley Award finalists 

PRINT/TEXT NEWS REPORT
Award Partner Media Super

• Michael Koziol and Jennifer Duke, The Sydney Morning Herald, “Guthrie ordered to sack top ABC reporter”, “ABC chair’s ‘bias’ email” and “Revealed: ABC boss’ secret dossier
• Kirsty Needham,The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Age and The Canberra Times, “Xinjiang – the buildings where people go in, but don’t come out
• Ben Schneiders and Royce Millar,The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, “SourDoughAustralia’s High-End Restaurant Scandal

PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM 

• Anne Connolly, Mary Fallon and Patricia DrumFour Corners, ABC TV and ABC Digital, “Who Cares?
• Louise Milligan and the Four Corners TeamFour Corners, ABC TV and ABC News Online, “GuiltyAn investigationinto George Pell
• Mark Willacy, Peter Cronau, Louie Eroglu and Naomi SelvaratnamFour Corners, ABC TV, “Inside the Watch House

INNOVATION

• ABC News Team, abc.net.au, “Satellite storytelling
• Kylie Boltin, Matt Smith and Tamara DeanSBS, “Missing: The Story of Abducted School Girl Wendy Pfeiffer and the Pitjantjatjara Trackers who found her
• Caro Meldrum-Hanna, Exposed & ABC Digital Team, ABC, “EXPOSED: The Case of Keli Lane

HEADLINE, CAPTION OR HOOK
Award Partner Qantas

• Anthony DeCeglieThe West Australian, “FAKE EWES”, “PREY TO GOD” and  “THE ESSENCE OF HUMANITY”
• Baz McAlisterThe Courier-Mail, “Time to Haul Ass”, “Give ‘Em a Finch and They’ll Take a Mine” “Halal… Is it Meals You’re Sooking For”
• Duska SulicichThe Ageand The Sunday Age, “The Instagram Generation”, “Bold and the Baroque” and “The Stringer”

FEATURE WRITING LONG (OVER 4000 WORDS)
Award Partner UQ

• Amanda Hooton and Joanne McCarthyGood Weekend MagazineThe Sydney Morning Heraldand The Age, “The Nightmare Within”
• Cameron StewartThe Weekend Australian Magazine, “Joe Hockey’s Game”
• Sam VincentThe Monthly, “A Nagging Doubt: The Retrial of David Eastman”

FEATURE WRITING SHORT (UNDER 4000 WORDS)
Award Partner The Sydney Morning Herald & The Age

• Michael BarnesGood WeekendThe Sydney Morning Herald, “Counting down the days in God’s waiting room
• Martin McKenzie-MurrayThe Saturday Paper, “Rosie Batty: the private toll of public grief
• James Oaten, Danny Morgan and Jane Cowan, ABC, “Catching a Catfish

COVERAGE OF INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS
Award Partner PwC

• Lorena Allam, Guardian Australia and the University of Newcastle’s Colonial Frontiers Massacre ProjectGuardian Australia, “The Killing Times
• Andy Burns and Geoff Thompson30, ABC, “Standing Tall
• Amy McQuireGriffith Review 65: Crimes and Punishments, “White justice, black suffering: Extracting false confessions

COVERAGE OF COMMUNITY OR REGIONAL AFFAIRS
Award Partner BHP

• Caleb CluffThe Ballarat Courier, “The Boys’ ClubFemale prison staff revealbrutal culture of abuse
• Donna Page and Nick BielbyNewcastle Herald, “Dirty Deeds
• Sam Tomlin and ABC Kimberley Team,ABC, “Coverage of the Kimberley suicide crisis

CARTOON 

• Pat CampbellThe Canberra Times, “Christchurch Fern”
• Matt GoldingThe Age, “Tip of the Iceberg”
• Jon KudelkaThe Australian, “Thirteen O’Clock”

SPORTS JOURNALISM

• Malcolm Knox and Nigel GladstoneThe Sun-Herald, “Caught OutCricket’s Inflated PlayerNumbers Revealed
• Samantha LaneThe Sydney Morning Heraldand The Age, Adam GoodesMy love for the game died inside me
• Catherine MarciniakCompass, ABC TV,  ABC iView and ABC Australia YouTube channel, “Leagueability

SPORT PHOTOGRAPHY
Award Partner Nikon

• Craig Golding, AAP, “Invictus Games 2018”
• Quinn Rooney, Getty Images, “The Art of Sports Photography”
• Cameron Spencer, Getty Images, “H20”

RADIO/AUDIO NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS
Award Partner ABC

• Anne Connolly and Background Briefingteam, ABC Radio National, “The sexual abuse scandal nobody’s talking about
• Adam HarveyAM, ABC, “The Survivors of ISIS
• Gareth Parker, 6PR, “BHP royaltiesfight

RADIO/AUDIO FEATURE

• Ruby Jones, Neil Mercer and Team Unravel True Crime, ABC, “Unravel Season 2BarrenjoeyRoad
• Kirsti MelvilleEarshot, ABC Radio National, “The Ghostsof Wittenoom
• Robyn RavlichEarshot, ABC Radio National, “Robert Manne’s Voice

PRODUCTION
Award Partner Google News Initiative

• Fadzil HamzahThe Daily Telegraphand The Sunday Telegraph, “The Ibrahim Tapes
• Caro Meldrum-Hanna, Exposed & ABC Digital Team, ABC, “EXPOSED: The Case of Keli Lane
• Ali RaeAl Jazeera English, “All Hail The Algorithm

SCOOP OF THE YEAR
Award Partner Nine News

• Al Jazeera Investigations UnitAl Jazeera Media Network, “How to Sella Massacre
• Josh Gerstein and Zoya SheftalovichPOLITICO, “‘That’s just insane’Australia’s secret deal with the U.S.
• Sophie McNeillFour Corners, ABC, “Escape from Saudi

COVERAGE OF A MAJOR NEWS EVENT OR ISSUE
Award Partner Facebook

• Melissa Davey and Guardian Australia TeamGuardian Australia, “Coverageof George Pell verdict
• Anthony Dowsley and Patrick CarlyonHerald Sun, “Lawyer X Informer Scandal
• Adam Harvey, Tom Hancock and Suzanne Dredge30and 7pm NewsABC TV, “Fall of the Caliphate”

NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY
Award Partner Nikon

• Chris McGrath, Getty Images, “The Disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi”
• Matt Roberts, ABC, “The Second Coming of Senator Lambie”
• Jason South, The Age, “Pell”

BUSINESS JOURNALISM
Award Partner ING

• Adele FergusonThe Sydney Morning Heraldand The Age, “Secret interviews reveal risky business for NAB’s top executives
• Angus Grigg, Lisa Murray and Jonathan Shapiro,The Australian Financial Review, “The UBS loan scandal
• Nick McKenzie, Nick Toscano and Grace TobinThe AgeThe Sydney Morning Heraldand 60 Minutes, Nine, “Crown Unmasked

FEATURE/PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY
Award Partner Nikon

• Chris McGrath, Getty Images, “The End of the Caliphate”
• Ryan Pierse, Getty Images, “The Unlosable Election”
• Jason South, The Age, “Christchurch Massacre”

TELEVISION/VIDEO: CAMERAWORK
Award Partner Australian Super

• Louie ErogluFour Corners, ABC, “Proud Country
• Tom Hancock7pm News and 30, ABC, “On the frontline: the final days of Islamic State’s ‘caliphate’
• Paul WalkerSeven News, Seven Network, “Sydney Stabbing”

TELEVISION/VIDEO: NEWS REPORTING
Award Partner Seven

• Seven News Brisbane TeamSeven News Brisbane, “North Queensland Flood Coverage”
• Seven News Sydney TeamSeven News Sydney, “Sydney Stabbing Rampage”
• Hannah Sinclair, Nine News, “Christchurch gunman’s family breaks silence”

TELEVISION/VIDEO CURRENT AFFAIRS SHORT (LESS THAN 20 MINUTES)
Award Partner SBS

• Paul Farrell and Alex McDonald30, ABC, “Robodebt revelations
• Ali RaeAl Jazeera EnglishAll Hail The Algorithm
• Emily VerdouwBuzzFeed, “Here’s What Refugee Kids Suffering From A Rare Syndrome In Sweden Can Tell Us About Australia’s Offshore Detention Centres

TELEVISION/VIDEO CURRENT AFFAIRS LONG (MORE THAN 20 MINUTES)
Award Partner TEN

• Anne Connolly, Mary Fallon and Patricia DrumFour Corners, ABC TV, “WhoCares?
• Suzanne Dredge, Dylan Welch, David Maguire and Janine CohenFour Corners, ABC TV, “Orphans of ISIS
• Nick McKenzie, Grace Tobin and Nick Toscano60 Minutes, Nine, “Crown Unmasked

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
Award Partner Bayer

• Al Jazeera Investigations UnitAl Jazeera Media Network, How to Sella Massacre
• Anthony Dowsley and Patrick CarlyonHerald Sun, “Lawyer X Informer Scandal
• Angus Grigg, Lisa Murray, Jonathan Shapiro and Edmund TadrosThe Australian Financial Review, “The Paladin Affaircashing inon refugees

COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS, OPINION AND CRITIQUE
Award Partner Bond University

• Waleed AlyThe AgeThe Sydney Morning Heraldand The Project, Network Ten, “Rage and Restraint
• Paul DaleyThe Guardian, “Interrogatingthe Past
• Jan FranThe Feed, SBSVICELAND and associated social media channels, “TheFrant

WALKLEY DOCUMENTARY AWARD SHORTLIST

• Aftermath: Beyond Black Saturday,Joe Connor, Ken Connor and Lucy Maclaren, Renegade Films and ABC
• The Australian Dream, Stan Grant, Dan Gordon, GoodThing Productions and Passion Pictures UK
• The Final Quarter,Ian Darling, Sally Fryer and Mary Macrae, Shark Island Productions 

WALKLEY BOOK AWARD LONGLIST

• Gabrielle ChanRusted Off, Vintage, Penguin Random House Australia 
• Adele FergusonBanking Bad, ABC Books, HarperCollinsPublishersAustralia
• Ean HigginsThe Hunt for MH370, Pan Macmillan Australia 
• Jess HillSee What You Made Me Do, Black Inc.
• Damon KitneyThe Price of Fortune, HarperCollinsPublishersAustralia
• Patrick MullinsTiberius with a Telephone, Scribe
• Andrew RuleWinx: The Authorised Biography, Allen & Unwin
• Leigh SalesAny Ordinary Day, Penguin Random House Australia 
• Matthew WarrenBlackout, Affirm Press

NIKON-WALKLEY PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 
Award Partner Nikon

• Scott Barbour, Getty Images andAAP
• Chris McGrath, Getty Images
• Jeremy Piper, National Geographic, Oculi and AAP

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