Nominees for the 54th Walkley Awards in print categories; including news report, three headings, cartoon, artwork, newspaper and magazine feature writing.
Links are provided to finalists’ entries wherever possible. These will be updated so please check back. Please note, in some cases entries comprised a number of stories, and the links show a sample of the entry.
Print News Report
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Natasha Boddy, Kalgoorlie Miner, "600ml of Water For Hot Four Hour Journey"
Exposed a litany of errors within Western Australia’s prisoner transport and privatised custodial services, after an Aboriginal elder died of heatstroke in a sealed van.
Gary Hughes, The Australian, “Black Saturday 1 & 2”
Two movingly raw first-person accounts of losing everything in the Victorian bushfire disaster.
Michael McKenna, The Australian, "Shocked to the Core"
Revealed taser gun abuse by Queensland police, including tasering an unarmed 16-year-old girl, and a man who died after receiving more than 20 shocks.
Best Three Headings
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Paul Cully, The Sydney Morning Herald
- “From second fiddle to fecund Siddle”
- “Benji Martian”
- “The curious case of Jenson Button, the man whose salary is stuck in reverse”
Tim Douglas, The Weekend Australian and The Australian
- “Ludwig bans vote haven”
- “Regrets? We’ve had a flu”
- “Rebels without a clause deserve the desk sentence”
Leigh Tonkin, The Newcastle Herald
- “It’s all love, no Waugh”
- “Poulet the other one”
- “Swapping the beat for the grind”
Magazine Feature Writing
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Annabel Crabb, Quarterly Essay, “Stop at Nothing: The Life and Adventures of Malcolm Turnbull”
A close-profile character sketch of the opposition leader, his colourful history and John Howard’s enduring legacy in the Liberal Party made a newsworthy and fascinating read.
Julie-Anne Davies, The Weekend Australian Magazine, “Back From the Brink”
The exclusive story behind the public and private unravelling of Tasmanian minister Paula Wriedt, exposing the “barbarism” of political life.
Gary Hughes, The Weekend Australian Magazine, “One Day at a Time”
First-hand experience of surviving the Black Saturday bushfires and working to rebuild in the aftermath made for a compelling feature.
Commended:Roy Eccleston, SA Weekend, The Advertiser, “Inside Bob’s Brain”
Newspaper Feature Writing
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Patrick Carlyon, Herald Sun, “Where the Hell is Everyone?”
Eye-opening reconstruction of the vanishing of the entire town of Marysville, focusing on four victims.
Jock Cheetham, The Sydney Morning Herald, “Who Killed Isaac Dinsdale?”
Broke the silence of a community cowed by fear and media disinterest, in the Woolloomooloo gang-killing of a father of five.
Cameron Stewart and Corrie Perkin, The Australian, “Black Saturday”
Comprehensive chronology of the Victorian bushfires, detailing the collapse of warning systems and communications, leaving communities defenceless.
Cartoon - Gallery
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Neil Matterson, The Sunday Mail, “Sold”
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh’s love affair with selling state assets finally goes too far.
Peter Nicholson, The Australian, “Bashir and Bombing”
In the wake of the Jakarta bombings, Nicholson deftly skewered the morality of a spiritual teacher who has guided his young pupils towards suicide bombing.
Cathy Wilcox, The Sydney Morning Herald, “Two Clouds”
Simply and cynically contrasts the willingness to accept scientific evidence of an economic crisis over a climate change crisis.
Artwork- Gallery
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Simon Letch, The Sydney Morning Herald, “Colour me Kevin”
A half-finished paint-by-numbers portrait of the PM proved a perfectly nuanced accompaniment to a mid-term report card on Rudd’s performance as leader.
David Rowe, The Australian Financial Review, “Budget Boat”
Rudd and Swann’s good ship budget didn’t provide many lifelines to Australian business and consumers, but did make for a great cover illustration.
John Tiedemann, The Week, “Waiting in the Wings”
Costello stood by insouciantly while a bloody Roman drama unfolded in this depiction of yet another opposition leadership challenge.
