The Walkley Foundation has celebrated and supported great Australian journalism since the first Walkley Awards, established by Sir William Gaston Walkley, were handed out in 1956.
The Walkley Foundation benchmarks the industry standard for excellence and best practice journalism. We work independently with all media organisations to enable Australian journalists to tell the stories of our nation and strengthen our democracy. We also aim to engage both the media and the public to value and support journalism.
Our mission
Celebrating and supporting great Australian journalism.
- The Walkley Awards
- Nikon-Walkley Press Photo Exhibition
- Walkley Book Award
- Walkley Documentary Award
- June Andrews Award for Freelancer of the Year
- June Andrews Award for Women’s Leadership
- June Andrews Award for Industrial Relations Reporting
- June Andrews Award for Arts Journalism
- Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism
- Humanitarian Storytelling Award
- Our Watch Award
- Media Diversity Australia Award
Encouraging excellence
The Walkley Awards are the pinnacle of achievement for any Australian journalist. With a rich 66-year history, the Walkley Awards now include 30 categories across all platforms, peer-judged with a two-tier process. No matter their era, Walkley Award-winning stories have always chronicled Australia’s history, people and events.
The Walkley Foundation also runs and administers honours that benchmark excellence for freelance journalists, women’s leadership in media, industrial reporting, arts journalism and criticism, and more.
Read more about our awards and prizes
Encouraging excellence
The Walkley Awards are the pinnacle of achievement for any Australian journalist. With a rich 64-year history, the Walkley Awards now include 30 categories across all platforms, peer-judged with a two-tier process. No matter their era, Walkley Award-winning stories have always chronicled Australia’s history, people and events.
The Walkley Foundation also runs and administers honours that benchmark excellence for freelance journalists, women’s leadership in media, industrial reporting, arts journalism and criticism, and more.
Read more about our awards and prizes
Supporting the next generation
We don’t just celebrate the best emerging voices with the Young Australian Journalist of the Year Awards; we’re also helping bright young reporters develop their skills and find pathways into the industry through scholarships and mentorships.
Read more about our scholarships, mentorships and other similar programs
Supporting the next generation
We don’t just celebrate the best emerging voices with the Young Australian Journalist of the Year Awards; we’re also helping bright young reporters develop their skills and find pathways into the industry through scholarships and mentorships.
Read more about our scholarships, mentorships and other similar programs
Investing in journalism
The Walkley Foundation invests back in Australian journalism by offering grants to support public interest journalism, fellowships and training. We’re also building a digital archive of six decades of Walkley-winning journalism as a resource for journalists, students, and the public. Bringing the first draft of history to life!
Read more about how we invest in journalism
Valuing journalism
We’ve got an important role to play in helping all Australians understand why great journalism makes life better, safer and fairer for all of us. We’re spreading the word by giving the best journalists a platform at public events and festivals, through The Walkley Magazine, our newsletter and our podcast. In 2019 we’re also rolling out a public awareness campaign that asks: “What price would you pay?”
Read more about how we amplify journalism
How we do it
The Walkley Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation and relies on support from corporate organisations, tertiary institutions, government, foundations and individuals to develop a wide range of programs including providing scholarships, offering grants and developing tools for increased digital media literacy.
If you would like to join us in building a news ecosystem that is thorough, far-reaching and trusted for today and for future Australians, consider partnering with us or making a donation today.
“I am proud of the Foundation’s clear purpose. The Walkley Awards represent speaking truth to power and demonstrate the importance of journalism to our community and its enormous public impact, from the local to the national level.”
Marina Go, Walkley Foundation Chair