Finalists for the 53rd Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism were announced tonight at events in Sydney and Melbourne.  2UE's Mike Carlton and Sandy Aloisi announced the finalists in Sydney at the Blacket Hotel, while Lateline Business presenter Ali Moore and comedian Michael Chamberlin hosted the announcement at Melbourne's Press Club.

A full list of finalists follows and is available in PDF format here.

As usual, the entries reflected the year in news: at home, the Northern Territory intervention and the Rudd government's apology to the Stolen Generation, climate change, political corruption and the change of government last November.  Our relationships with our Asia-Pacific neighbours, military intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq and cyclones and earthquakes in China and Burma featured in the international categories.

The Beijing Olympics also left indelible memories and these are particularly reflected in the number and quality of the photographic entries.

The uncertain business climate and gathering economic storm were reflected in some outstanding business journalism.  The three finalists in the Business Journalism award were announced at events yesterday in Sydney and this afternoon in Melbourne.

A long list of finalists in the Walkley Award for Best Non-Fiction Book was also announced tonight.

All finalists will now go on for judging by the Walkley Advisory Board across 34 categories in print, radio, television, photography and all media.

Winners will be announced at the Walkley Award Gala Ceremony at Crown Palladium, Melbourne on November 27.  The delayed package of the award presentation will be broadcast on SBS TV the same night and streamed live at www.sbs.com.au/walkleys Walkley winners announced on the night will also vie for the pinnacle of Australian journalistic achievement, the Gold Walkley.  Past winners of the Gold Walkley Award include Kate McClymont and Anne Davies of The Sydney Morning Herald for their unearthing of the Bulldogs salary cap scandal, The Age's Andrew Rule for his investigation of the Geoff Clarke rape allegations and The Australian newspaper's Hedley Thomas for his series of stories which exposed mistakes in the arrest and treatment of former terror suspect, Brisbane doctor Mohamed Haneef.