An investigation by a Canberra Times reporter into the leadership of Brindabella Christian College has been recognised at the Walkley Mid-Year Journalism Awards.
Reporter Sherryn Groch was awarded the best coverage of community and regional affairs category prize at the Young Journalist of the Year awards for her series of stories published in 2019.
Groch, now working at The Age in Melbourne, uncovered years of complaints and hundreds of thousands of dollars of worker's compensation payouts relating to bullying and intimidation allegations levelled at the college board.
Canberra Times photographer Dion Georgopoulos was a finalist in the visual storytelling category of the Young Journalist of the Year Awards.
Georgopoulos was selected for his coverage of the summer bushfires.
The West Australian journalist Annabel Hennessy was named Young Australian Journalist of the Year.
The Mid-Year Awards also featured awards for industrial relations reporting, freelance journalism, women's leadership, arts journalism, arts criticism, media diversity and the Our Watch Award for reporting on violence against women and children.
The awards were announced through a virtual ceremony on June 17 in line with COVID-19 restrictions.
Walkley Foundation chief executive Louisa Graham said these mid-year awards recognised young journalists and specialist writers who are not included in the Walkley Awards.
"[Mid-year awards] are not Walkley Awards, they have a different trophy, but they are determined through the same rigorous processes and according to the same standards of excellence and expert judging," she said.
The mid-year awards ceremony includes the Young Australian Journalist of the Year Awards, June Andrews Awards, Our Watch Award, Media Diversity Australia Award and the Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism.
The Young Australian Journalist of the Year
- Young Australian Journalist of the Year and public service journalism: Annabel Hennessy, The West Australian
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Shortform journalism: Luke Henriques-Gomes, Guardian Australia
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Longform feature or special: Ella Archibald-Binge, The Feed, SBS Viceland
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Coverage of community and regional affairs: Sherryn Groch, The Canberra Times
- Visual storytelling: Marty Smiley, Jack Tulleners and Pat Forrest, SBS
- Student journalist of the year: Andre Nassiri, University of New South Wales
The June Andrews Award
- Industrial Relations Reporting: Ben Schneiders and Nick McKenzie, The Age
- Freelance Journalist of the Year: Karishma Vyas, 101 East - Al Jazeera English and Foreign Correspondent, ABC
- Women's Leadership in Media: Joanna Lester, Madeleine Hetherton and Rebecca Barry, Media Stockade, NITV and SBS On Demand
- Arts Journalism: Steve Dow, Meanjin, The Saturday Paper and Guardian Australia
Our Watch Award
- Nina Funnell, News.com.au, The Mercury and NT News,
Media Diversity Australia Award
- Mahmood Fazal and Rebecca Metcalf, Audible Originals
The Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism
- Mireille Juchau, newyorker.com and The Monthly
