Regional Australia’s best journalism has been celebrated at the 2024 ACM Excellence Awards, with the Newcastle Herald named regional masthead of the year, South Australia’s Stock Journal winning best agricultural title in its 120th year and the Goulburn Post winning best community masthead.
Presented in Sydney, the annual awards recognise the most outstanding news and sport coverage, commentary and commercial content produced by the ACM network, Australia’s largest publisher of regional news.
Senior journalist Andrew Thomson of The Standard in Warrnambool, Victoria, was presented with the top individual honour, the Gold ACME for Journalist of the Year, for his long-running coverage of Geoff Clark, former chairman of the disbanded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, who was sentenced on November 24 to a six-year prison term for an almost $1million fraud described by the sentencing judge as “morally reprehensible”.
Court reporter Grace Crivellaro of the Illawarra Mercury was named Young Journalist of the Year and Nick Guthrie was named Sports Journalist of the Year for his work across the NSW central-west for Dubbo’s The Daily Liberal, Bathurst’s Western Advocate and Orange’s Central Western Daily.
ACM editorial director Rod Quinn congratulated this year’s winners for making a difference in their communities.
“Thank you for your commitment to your communities, your passion for the truth and accuracy, your dedication to informing and connecting our audiences, and your unflinching determination to hold the powerful to account,” Quinn said.
Executive chairman of ACM Antony Catalano presented Mr Thomson and Ms Crivellaro with their awards at Tuesday night’s presentation ceremony in Sydney.
The judges described Crivellaro’s court reporting for the Illawarra Mercury as compelling and Mr Thomson’s detailed storytelling for The Standard as diverse and deeply engaging.
Editor Lisa Allan accepted the Regional Masthead of the Year trophy on behalf of the Newcastle Herald, which also won News Story of the Year and the Editorial Director’s Award for reporter Matthew Kelly’s Walkley Award-winning series on a homeless Vietnam veteran reunited with his family, Court Story of the Year for journalist Anna Falkenmire’s reporting in the aftermath of the 2023 Hunter Valley wedding party bus crash and News Photo of the Year for photographer Marina Neil’s coverage of the military funeral for former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon’s soldier son, Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon, who died in a parachuting training accident.
South Australia’s Stock Journal, one of ACM’s specialist weekly titles serving Australia’s important rural and farm sector, was named Best Agricultural Masthead of 2024.
Stock Journal, which marked its 120th year of publishing this year, was represented at the awards by newly appointed editor Quinton McCallum and outgoing editor Elizabeth Anderson, who has recently rejoined The Land.
Editor Sally Foy, who oversees the Goulburn Post on the NSW Southern Tablelands, accepted the award for Best Community Masthead from ACM managing director Tony Kendall.
“The journalism of ACM keeps the communities of regional Australia strong, informed and connected and we are incredibly proud of the efforts and achievements of our teams during a year that brought many changes and challenges,” Kendall said.
“The local news and trusted journalism our teams provide is vital to a strong and healthy regional Australia,” he said.
Ballarat’s The Courier was acknowledged with several awards for its rolling local coverage of the search for missing mother Samantha Murphy, a heartbreaking mystery that gripped the nation.
Journalist Emily Anderson, of Wagga Wagga’s The Daily Advertiser, was named Trainee of the Year and Chris Dutton, who leads sports coverage for The Canberra Times, was named Coach/Mentor of the Year.
The ACM national affairs newsletter The Echidna, anchored by journalist John Hanscombe and columnist Garry Linnell, won the award for innovation while The Border Mail, led by editor Xavier Mardling, was recognised for its efforts across 2024 to attract, engage and retain digital subscribers.
Among the commercial content categories, the hefty 88-page Foundations of Beef special publication, produced by ACM’s agricultural titles to celebrate Australia’s beef sector, was named Magazine of the Year.
Full list of 2024 ACM Excellence Awards winners
Gold ACME Journalist of the Year
Winner: Andrew Thomson, The Standard
Young Journalist of the Year
Winner: Grace Crivellaro, Illawarra Mercury
Masthead of the Year – Regional
Winner: Newcastle Herald
Masthead of the Year – Agricultural
Winner: Stock Journal
Masthead of the Year – Community
Winner: Goulburn Post
Editorial Director’s Award
Winner: Matthew Kelly, Newcastle Herald
Sports Journalist of the Year
Winner: Nick Guthrie, The Daily Liberal, Western Advocate, Central Western Daily
Trainee of the Year
Winner: Emily Anderson, The Daily Advertiser
Mentor of the Year
Winner: Chris Dutton, The Canberra Times
Building A Subscriber Community
Winner: The Border Mail
Team Innovation
Winner: The Echinda newsletter
Team Collaboration
Winner: The Courier
Best Video – Local
Winner: Tahlia Sinclair, The Daily Advertiser
Best Video – National
Winner: The Courier, Maddy Fogarty, Georgia Rossiter
Campaign of the Year
Winner: NSW Paediatric Care Crisis (joint regional NSW mastheads)
Comment Piece of the Year
Winner: Ciara Bastow, The Daily Liberal
Feature Story of the Year
Winner: Sarah Lansdown, The Canberra Times
Highly Commended: Sarah Falson, Explore travel magazine
Court Story of the Year
Winner: Anna Falkenmire, Newcastle Herald
Highly Commended: Allison Hore (Daily Liberal), Tess Kelly (Northern Daily Leader)
Story of the Year – Community
Winner: Annie Hesse, Katherine Times
News Story of the Year – Agricultural
Winner: Bryce Eishold, Stock & Land
Property Story of the Year
Winner: Jade Lazarevic, Newcastle Herald
National News Story of the Year
Winner: Coverage of Westfield Bondi attack (National team, The Canberra Times) Highly Commended: Ayden Dawkins
Sport Story of the Year – Regional
Winner: Melanie Dinjaski, The Canberra Times
News Story of the Year – Regional
Winner: Matthew Kelly, Newcastle Herald
Highly commended: Madeline Link, Newcastle Herald
Production/presentation of the Year
Winner: The Algorithm Decides by Josh Hall
Sell of the Year
Winner: Emily Sweet, The Courier
News Photo of the Year – Regional
Winner: Marina Neil, Newcastle Herald
Sport Photo of the Year – Regional
Winner: Gary Ramage, The Canberra Times
Highly commended: Darren Howe, Bendigo Advertiser
News Photo of the Year – Agricultural
Winner: Quinton McCallum, Stock Journal
Photo of the Year – Community
Winner: Glenn Ellard, South Coast Register
Highly Commended: Ben Smyth, Bega District News
Magazine of the Year
Winner: Foundations of Beef, ACM Agri
Commercial Feature of the Year
Winner: Ashley Walmsley, Queensland Department of Agriculture & Fisheries partnership
Paid Content Campaign
Winner: Elizabeth Habermann, Miranda Aitken, NBN campaign
