Yahoo7 has named the four budding Australian digital media talents who’ve been selected as the winners of its 2017 Digital Stars program.

Taking out the top prize from a record number of submissions, Sara Hilgendorf (Queensland ecosystem planning manager at Carat), Simon Conyard (NSW digital associate manager at MEC) and Melissa Lum (Victorian digital executive at Mediacom), will soon jet off to NYC to attend Advertising Week – billed as the world’s premier event for marketing, brand, advertising and technology professionals – courtesy of Yahoo7.

They have also won a photo shoot for professional headshots, a $500 Visa gift card and mentorship opportunities with senior leaders at Yahoo7.

Judges selected three of the winners at the ‘throwdown’ finals held at Yahoo7’s Sydney HQ on Thursday night, with the fourth – Vartika Arora (Victorian campaign engineer at Cadreon) – taking out the People’s Choice award at the event.

Nine finalists fought it out for the winners’ titles, facing off in a debate which played off the disciplines of data, content and tech.

The Australian winners will be joined by Josh Reiri-Allen, senior digital manager of from Carat’s Auckland office, who took out the New Zealand Digital Stars prize.

Now in its sixth year, Yahoo7’s Digital Stars program recognises the best emerging talent in digital media and rewards them with unparalleled access to some of the most respected industry mentors and innovation gatherings across the world.

Paul Sigaloff, chief revenue officer at Yahoo7, said: “We’re proud of the work we do to mentor and support Australia’s exceptional pool of passionate digital media young guns, and our commitment to making a tangible contribution to the strength and skill of our industry.

“I couldn’t have been more impressed with the calibre of entries and debate amongst our 2017 finalists, and look forward to keeping a keen eye on the future careers of our winners. It’s always a thrill to see our Digital Stars succeed and go on to do great things.”