The Walkley Foundation is delighted to announce the finalists for the 71st annual Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism.
The Walkley Awards, Australia’s pre-eminent national journalism awards, recognise and reward the best in the craft and set the industry standard for excellence.
Finalists are announced today for all categories aside from Business Journalism which is announced on Thursday 22 October, the Book Award, announced on Thursday 5 November (longlist below) and the Outstanding Contribution to Journalism which is announced at the gala dinner.
Shona Martyn, CEO of the Walkley Foundation, said: “This year’s Walkley finalists reflect a year of turmoil in Australia and around the world captured by journalists and photographers who, in some instances, have put their own lives at risk.
“In addition, the work that has made the finalists includes explosive investigations into wrongdoing, thoughtful commentary and analysis and skilfully executed features, photographs, documentaries and books.As always the finalists are proof of the depth of talent in the Australian media, something that should never be taken for granted.
“The finalists have been selected by specialist journalists in our exhaustive first round judging process with the category winners to be selected by the Walkley Judging Board, chaired by Gay Alcorn. My thanks to these judges and hearty congratulations to all those who have made it to the next stage. Good luck!”
The Walkley Foundation encourages a diversity of entries from journalists around Australia. This year we received more than 1050 eligible entries, published or broadcast between 19 August, 2025 and 17 August, 2026.
The Walkley Award finalists are chosen in a peer-reviewed process by leading Australian journalists who adhere to strict conflict of interest precautions. Judges determine the excellence and integrity of the finalists with criteria that include balance, accuracy, newsworthiness and available resources.
All Walkley Award winners will be announced at a gala dinner in Sydney on Thursday 19 November.
The winners of the Nikon Photography Prizes are announced below, along with the list of finalists for all the Walkley Awards.
You can see all the 2026 photography finalists and prize winners here.
For media enquiries contact James Gorman on james.gorman@walkleys.com
71st Walkley Award finalists
PRINT/TEXT: NEWS REPORT
Award Partner MinterEllison
- Sherryn Groch, Rachael Dexter, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘The great March for Australia deception’ (1)
- Sarah Martin, Guardian Australia, ‘Pauline Hanson and Gina Rinehart – Undeclared Flights’ (1, 2, 3)
- Chris Vedelago, Marta Pascual Juanola, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘The billion-dollar move crime boss made for Australia’s top illicit cigarette brand’ (1, 2)
PRINT/TEXT: FEATURE WRITING SHORT (UNDER 4000 WORDS)
Award Partner The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
- Jonathan Barrett, Guardian Australia, ‘A child goes to bed and doesn’t wake up’: the families left in shock after the sudden death of their healthy children’ (1)
- Patrick Begley, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘“Schoolboy maths”: How Australian gamblers beat the Texas lottery’ (1)
- Sam Buckingham-Jones, Australian Financial Review, ‘Maccas in a Rolls: Inside Kyle Sandilands’ pivot to $100 tradie plans’ (1)
PRINT/TEXT: FEATURE WRITING LONG (OVER 4000 WORDS)
- Melissa Fyfe, Carla Hildebrandt, Good Weekend Magazine – The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Virginia: The Final Chapter’ (1)
- Sarah Martin, Guardian Australia, ‘Inside One Nation’ (1)
- Ben Smee, Guardian Australia, ‘“Starting to frighten me”: the final weeks of Hannah Clarke’s life’ (1)
ALL MEDIA: COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS, OPINION AND CRITIQUE
Award Partner Thomsons
- David Leser, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘The Bondi Massacre and its Aftermath’ (1, 2, 3)
- Kylie Moore-Gilbert, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Body of work’ (1, 2, 3)
- Isabelle Oderberg, The Jewish Independent, ‘Body of work’ (1, 2, 3)
ALL MEDIA: EXPLANATORY JOURNALISM
- Myriam Robin, Australian Financial Review, ‘Christian Brothers gifted property worth $2b to schools before collapse’ (1)
- The Visual Stories Team: Oil project, The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times and WA Today, ‘How much oil do we use?’ (1)
- Tobacco War Team, The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times and WA Today, ‘Australia’s illegal tobacco trade’ (1)
ALL MEDIA: COVERAGE OF INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS
Award Partner National Indigenous Times
- ABC News Story Lab, ABC News Online, ‘Deep Time’ (1, 2, 3)
- Cason Ho, Hayden Smith, Andy Burns, Charlotte King, ABC News Online, ‘A cry for help’ (1, 2, 3)
- Ben Smee & the Guardian Australia Team, Guardian Australia, The betrayal of Kardell Lomas’ (1, 2, 3)
ALL MEDIA: COVERAGE OF COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
Award Partner BHP
- Matt Garrick, Elsie Lange, Xavier Martin, ABC NT, ABC News, ABC News Online, ‘Alice Springs riot coverage’ (1, 2, 3)
- Donna Page, Newcastle Herald, ‘Anthony Di Nardo: 19 charges, eight alleged victims over 20 years’ (1, 2, 3)
- Ann Wason Moore, Gold Coast Bulletin, ‘Giaan’s Final Wish’ (1, 2, 3)
ALL MEDIA: CARTOON OF THE YEAR
Award Partner Banki Haddock Fiora
- Matt Golding, The Age, ‘Operation Epic Outsourcing’
- Megan Herbert, The Age, ‘Discarded’
- David Rowe, The Australian Financial Review, ‘Bondi’
ALL MEDIA: SPORTS JOURNALISM
Award Partner University of Queensland
- Jay Clark, Herald Sun, ‘Geelong Cats’ secret concussion contract’ (1, 2, 3)
- Jessica Halloran, Amy Donaldson, Wendy Carlisle, Dylan Welch, ABC, Four Corners, ‘Collision’ (1, 2, 3)
- Sam Koslowski, Emma Gillespie, Orla Maher, The Daily Aus, ‘The AFL’s first openly bisexual player’ (1, 2, 3, 4)
PHOTOGRAPHY: SPORT PHOTOGRAPHY
- Michael Klein, Herald Sun, News Corp Australia, ‘Klein’s folio of work’
- Marina Neil, Newcastle Herald, ‘Surging Sergis Soars’ (1)
- Quinn Rooney, Getty Images, ‘The Beauty of Sport’ (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
RADIO/AUDIO: AUDIO SHORT (UNDER 20 MINUTES)
Award Partner ABC
- Matthew Doran, ABC AM, ‘War in Gaza’ (1, 2, 3)
- Hamish Macdonald, Mark Tobin, Jemima Huston, Georgie Carroll, ABC, 702 Sydney Mornings, ‘Gendered violence against women in Australian politics’
- Adam Stephen, ABC Regional Queensland Drive, Queensland Evenings, Radio National’s Country Breakfast, Queensland Country Hour, NSW Country Hour, ‘Exposing Australia’s Illegal Fishing Crisis’ (1)
RADIO/AUDIO: AUDIO LONG (OVER 20 MINUTES)
- Andy Burns, Charlotte King with Background Briefing and Regional Investigations team, ABC, Background Briefing, ‘Hometown Boys’ (1, 2)
- Josh Robertson, Maddison Connaughton and the Background Briefing team, ABC, Background Briefing, ‘The Road to Bondi’ (1, 2, 3)
- The Unravel: Huntsman Team, ABC Listen, ‘Unravel: Huntsman’
DIGITAL MEDIA: INNOVATION JOURNALISM
- ABC Digital Story Innovations Team, ABC News Online, ‘This is what 84 cameras reveal about the Bondi attack’ (1, 2)
- Darling Harbour Visual Story Team, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Brisbane Times, WAtoday, ‘Darling Harbour’ (1)
- Matt Martino, Michael Workman, Lucy Carter, ABC News Online, ‘Foreign Facebook accounts using AI Pauline Hanson to manipulate Australians’ (1)
ALL MEDIA: SCOOP OF THE YEAR
Award Partner The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
- Michael Foley, Paul Sakkal, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, ‘Barnaby Joyce to defect to One Nation’ (1)
- Nick McKenzie, The Age, ‘$15 billion and the cover up that caused a royal commission’
- Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Olivia Caisley, Michael Workman, ABC Investigations, ABC News Online, 7.30, ‘Bondi: What ASIO knew’ (1)
ALL MEDIA: COVERAGE OF A MAJOR NEWS EVENT OR ISSUE
- 7NEWS & Sunrise Team, 7NEWS, Sunrise, ‘Bondi Terror Attack’
- Nick McKenzie, Kieran Rooney, Lachlan Abbott, Garry McNab, The Age, 60 Minutes, ‘The Big Bill and the fall of Jacinta Allan’
- Liam Mendes, Paige Taylor, Christine Middap, Ellie Dudley, The Australian, ‘Kumanjayi Little Baby’ (1, 2, 3)
PHOTOGRAPHY: NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY
- Gera Kazakov, NT News, ‘Alice Springs riot: Ben and Bianca’s tender moment’
- Banjo McLachlan, Daily Mail Australia, ‘Documenting The Unthinkable: Coming face-to-face with the Bondi Beach terrorists’ (1, 2, 3)
- Edwina Pickles, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Bondi Beach Terror Attack’
ALL MEDIA: SPECIALIST AND BEAT REPORTING
- Josh Hanrahan, Mark Morri, The Daily Telegraph, ‘Bondi Terror attack coverage’ (1, 2, 3)
- Julie Hare, Australian Financial Review, The Saturday Paper, SMH, The Age, ‘ANU governance turmoil’’ (1, 2, 3)
- Steven Trask, AFP Newswire, ‘Security, smuggling and rising seas: Foreign affairs in the Pacific’ (1, 2, 3)
ALL MEDIA: BUSINESS JOURNALISM
Award Partner ING Australia
To be announced separately at the ING Business Lunch on October 22.*
PHOTOGRAPHY: FEATURE/PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY
- Flavio Brancaleone, The Sydney Morning Herald, Reuters, AAP, ‘Bondi: After the Attack’
- Sam Mooy, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, ‘Kumanjayi Little Baby and the Alice Springs Riots’
- Edwina Pickles, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Bondi Beach Terror Attack’
TELEVISION/VIDEO: CAMERAWORK
- Dean Brosche, SBS, ‘Australia’s Greatest Conman?’
- Aaron Smith, Northern Pictures / ABC, ABC TV, Prime Video UK, ‘Rolf Harris: Primetime Predator and The Matter of Facts’ (1)
- Andy Taylor, In Films, ‘Sentient’,
TELEVISION/VIDEO: NEWS REPORTING
Award Partner 7NEWS
- Sharri Markson, News24, ‘Bondi Terror Attack’
- Chris Reason, 7News, ‘Iran War’
- Bridget Rollason, ABC News, ‘ISIS brides return to Australia’ (1, 2, 3)
TELEVISION/VIDEO: CURRENT AFFAIRS SHORT (UNDER 20 MINUTES)
Award Partner SBS
- Michelle Elias, Jodie Noyce, Jack Tulleners, SBS, The Feed, ‘Autism, Extremism and Recruitment’ (1)
- Matt Garrick, Emily Jane Smith, Xavier Martin, ABC, 7.30, ‘NT tragedy: the alleged murder of Kumanjayi Little Baby’ (1, 2, 3)
- Scobie McKay, Jennifer Luu, Jasmine Rule, ABC, ABC TV, ‘The influencers humiliating themselves for illegal gambling cash’ (1)
TELEVISION/VIDEO: CURRENT AFFAIRS LONG (OVER 20 MINUTES)
Award Partner The Pharmacy Guild of Australia
- ABC Investigations and Four Corners Team, ABC, Four Corners, ‘Bondi: Path to Terror’ (1)
- Jessica Halloran, Amy Donaldson, Wendy Carlisle, Dylan Welch, ABC, Four Corners, ‘Collision’ (1)
- Dylan Welch, Elise Potaka, Amy Greenbank, ABC, Four Corners, ‘Brutal Force’ (1)
ALL MEDIA: INTERNATIONAL
- Prue Lewarne, Pru Kingsmill, SBS, ‘Congo’s War’ (1)
- Stephanie March, Naomi Selvaratnam, Leah Donovan (with Palestinian journalists), ABC, Foreign Correspondent, ‘Gaza Children of War’ (1, 2)
- Vanessa Marsh, News Corp Australia – The Daily Telegraph, The Courier-Mail, Herald Sun, Adelaide Advertiser, ‘News from America’ (1, 2, 3)
ALL MEDIA: INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
Award Partner Guardian Australia
- Nick McKenzie, The Age, 60 Minutes, ‘Gatto’s rise and a Premier’s Fall’
- Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Kyle Taylor, ABC News Online, Four Corners, ‘Reawakening: Investigating the resurgence of ISIS and the Bondi attack’ (1, 2)
- Edmund Tadros, Hannah Wootton, Australian Financial Review, ‘KPMG audit leaks’ (1, 2, 3)
WALKLEY DOCUMENTARY AWARD
- The Hunt for the Last Nazis, Dan Goldberg, Craig Graham, Mark Middis, David Roach, Mint Pictures / SBS
- Sentient, Ivan O’Mahoney, Tony Jones, Rachel Grierson-Johns, In Films
- We Are Jeni, Simon Nasht, Mariel Thomas, Akhim Dev, Smith&Nasht / SBS, HBO Max US and UK (1)
WALKLEY BOOK AWARD LONGLIST
- Michael Dulaney, Sentinels, Scribe
- Virginia Haussegger, Unfinished Revolution: The feminist fightback, NewSouth Publishing
- Vannessa Hearman, The Good Sea, Melbourne University Publishing
- Martin McKenzie-Murray, Sirens, Black Inc.
- Neil Mercer, Falsely Convicted, Allen & Unwin
- Steven Schubert, Death in Yuendumu, HarperCollins Publishers
- Paul Toohey, The Fatal Island, Simon & Schuster
- Kate Wild, The Red House, Allen & Unwin
PHOTOGRAPHY: NIKON-WALKLEY PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Award Partner Nikon
- Flavio Brancaleone, Freelance, Newswire, The Sydney Morning Herald, AAP, Reuters
- Jason Edwards, Herald Sun
- Sam Mooy, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age
2026 NIKON PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE WINNERS
These are not Walkley Awards, but prizes administered by the Walkley Foundation on behalf of Nikon.
NIKON PHOTO OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Edwina Pickles, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Bondi Beach Terror Attack’
NIKON PORTRAIT PRIZE
WINNER: Steven Siewert, The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Richard Scolyer’
Thank you to the many senior journalists, photographers and others who gave their time to judge the Walkley Awards this year:
- Ben Adams, freelance DOP and editor
- Monica Attard, UTS
- Michael Bachelard, The Age
- Candida Baker, author and freelance editor
- Mark Beyer, Business News
- Claudianna Blanco, LiSTNR Factual Podcasts
- Alice Brennan, freelance
- Fiona Buffini, The Australian Financial Review
- Chris Bullock, freelance
- Verona Burgess, The Mandarin
- Jane Cadzow, Good Weekend Magazine
- James Campbell, Herald Sun
- Natalie Clancy,Nine
- Claire G Coleman, author
- Matthew Condon, The Australian
- James Coventry, ABC
- Simon Crerar, Impact&ble
- Darren Dale, Blackfella Films
- Anne Davies, freelance
- Thea Dikeos, ABC
- Anthony Dowsley, Herald Sun
- Carly Earl, Guardian Australia
- Sarah Elks, The Australian
- Nick Evans, The Australian
- Nick Feik, freelance
- Declan Fry, freelance critic
- Laura Gartry, ABC
- Phil Goyen, Seven
- David Gray, Agence France Press
- Michael Green, freelance
- Ewin Hannan, The Australian
- Isabella Higgins, ABC
- Elise Holman, News24
- Judy Horacek, freelance
- Julie Hornsey, ABC
- Nick Jensen, The Australian
- Liz Keen, Headline Productions
- Amanda Keenan, The West Australian
- Patrick Keneally, Guardian Australia
- Mags King, freelance
- Matthew Kitchin, Matt Kitchin Media
- Malcolm Knox, freelance / author
- Peta Landman, freelance
- Megan Lehmann, freelance
- Marianne Leitch, independent documentary-maker
- Peter Lewis, freelance cartoonist
- Belinda Lopez, freelance
- Alex Mann, ABC
- Paddy Manning, ABC
- Miles Martignoni, freelance
- Jillian McClelland, Sydney Morning Herald
- Hamish McDonald, freelance
- Murray McLaughlin, freelance
- Jonathan Miller, ABC
- Richard Moran, Nine
- Nathan Morris, ABC
- Kylie Morris, freelance
- Sean Nicholls, ABC
- Natalie O’Brien, freelance
- Will Ockenden, ABC
- Felicity Ogilvie, NITV
- Stephanie Peatling, Sydney Morning Herald / The Age
- Jill Poulsen, Townsville Bulletin
- Jenna Price, freelance
- Ashleigh Raper, TEN
- Petra Rees, The Australian
- Deb Richards, freelance
- Tony Ritchie, ex Sky, Nine
- Stephen Romei, freelance
- Alex Rowe, Sydney Morning Herald
- Colleen Ryan, freelance
- Dean Sewell, Oculi
- Bevan Shields, Sydney Morning Herald
- Sue Spencer, freelance
- Samantha Squiers, Fox Sports
- Tom Steinfort, Nine
- Jeremy Story Carter, ABC
- Edmund Tadros, The Australian Financial Review
- Cameron Tandy, Herald Sun
- Geoff Thompson
- Max Uechtritz, Kundu Productions
- Andrea Ulbrick
- Richard Welch, AFTRS
- Andrew West, ABC
- Charlotte Wheaton, Good Thing Productions
- Hope Wilson, Seven
- Tom Zubrycki, JOTZ Productions
For media enquiries contact Communications Manager James Gorman on james.gorman@walkleys.com
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance has been the proud custodian of the Walkley awards since their inception in 1956. In this year’s 71st awards, the MEAA is the proud supporter of the Gold Walkley which is chosen from the category winners.