Starcom Wins The Sydney Morning Herald’s Agency Newsroom Challenge

Starcom Wins The Sydney Morning Herald’s Agency Newsroom Challenge
B&T Magazine
By B&T Magazine



Advertising professionals became editorial experts last week as Fairfax Media hosted the Sydney Morning Herald ‘Breaking the Story’ Agency Newsroom Challenge.

The challenge is designed to engage agencies, deepen understanding of Fairfax’s premium positioning and quality independent journalism, as well as build brand advocacy. 

Fairfax editorial, commercial and marketing teams hosted 100 agency planners and buyers from 11 agencies for The Amazing Race/Cluedo style challenge to create a distinct and interactive experience, and showcase high-profile editorial talent, how it creates quality journalism, and its importance in today’s society.

Participants included PHD, Bohemia, Wavemaker, Starcom, SPARK Foundry, Havas Media, Vizeum, Carat, OMD, M2M, Blue 449 and Medialab. Here are the category award winners:

  • Best story: Starcom
  • Most factually correct: Carat
  • Best headline: PHD
  • Best photography: Blue 449

Starcom was named the overall agency winner.

“In a world of ‘busy’, it’s easy for people to get lost in the silos of their own world, but we know that the value for media agencies and clients comes from opening up and reminding people of our premium audiences and content,” Andrew Mudgway, national agency sales director at Fairfax Media, said.

“We’re proud of our incredible editorial teams, and we wanted to bring agency planners and buyers into the fold and expose them to what our award-winning editorial team members are tasked with, hourly, and daily – and that is creating high quality, independent journalism.”

The agencies competed with one another in a Cluedo/amazing race style challenge around the streets of Sydney to crack the case and shape the biggest story of the year.

Participants produced a quality piece of investigative journalism which was submitted to a team of Fairfax’s editorial talent including award-winning investigative journalist Kate McClymont, SMH editor Lisa Davies, Weekend features editor Aparna Khopkar, and SMH news editor Nick Ralston. 

The event gave participants the chance to work together as a team; encouraging effective communication, problem solving and creativity thinking, and have fun together whilst also connecting them with their respective Fairfax agency group director.




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