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Young Journalist of the Year Award Winners

Since 2008, these hotly contested awards for young Australian journalists have identified and celebrated the rising stars of the new generation, opening doors for new talent and kick-starting careers.

The Young Journalist of the Year Awards are open to young journalists 28 years and under, employed full-time or freelance, who have self-published or had work published or broadcast through Australian media outlets, including online publishers.

Today’s young journalists are more dynamic and must work harder than ever before. They are multi-skilled and adept across platforms, drawing on interactive tools and technologies to tell their stories and capture the attention of audiences.

Celebrating and encouraging the excellence of their work is critical to fostering a robust new generation of journalists. Award-winners are chosen on the basis of journalistic excellence in the fundamental tenets of the craft including newsworthiness, balance, accuracy, ethics and public impact as well as their ability to present distinctive and original journalism that pushes the boundaries of the profession.

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Mridula Amin

“The hidden park of last resort”

2021 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Winner of the 2021 Overall Young Journalist of the Year

Paul Sakkal

“Melbourne Hotel Quarantine”

2021 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Winner of the 2021 Young Journalist of the Year: Shortform journalism

Mridula Amin

“The hidden park of last resort”

2021 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Winner of the 2021 Young Journalist of the Year: Longform feature or special

Briana Fiore

“Bunbury Hospital Investigation”

2021 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Winner of the 2021 Young Journalist of the Year: Coverage of Community and Regional Affairs

Mridula Amin

““Stories of Western Sydney”

2021 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Winner of the 2021 Young Journalist of the Year: Visual storytelling

Annabel Hennessy

“11-year-old Indigenous girl takes her own life after her alleged rapist is given bail” “Annaliesse Ugle: How housing insecurity and a lack of support contributed to 11-year-old girl’s despair” and “State Government proposes changes to bail laws to look after child sex victims after death of Annaliesse Ugle”.

2021 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Winner of the 2021 Young Journalist of the Year: Public Service Journalism

Georgios Platias

“Inside Out: Mohsen’s Story” and “Politics, Leadership, and Public Policy with Peter van Onselen”.

2021 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Winner of the 2021 Student Journalist of the Year

Annabel Hennessy

“Kill or Be Killed?: The incarceration of Jody Gore”

2020 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Overall Young Australian Journalist of the Year; All media: Public service journalism

Oliver Gordon

“The Black & White Hotel: Inside Australia’s Segregated Hotel Rooms”

2019 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Overall Young Australian Journalist of the Year; All media: Longform Feature or Special

Elly Bradfield

“St George’s ice struggle”, “Dinosaurs fighting depression in the bush” and “The story of three long lost sisters”

2016 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Radio/audio journalism; Coverage of Community & Regional Affairs; Overall Young Australian Journalist of the Year

Paul Farrell

“The Nauru Files”

2017 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Overall Young Australian Journalist of the Year

Amy McNeilage

“The cheating factory; Cheating concerns 'ignored';  Overseas cheats pass as education fails”

2015 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Text based journalism; Overall Young Australian Journalist of the Year

Laura Murphy-Oates

““Young and black”; “Kids of Kalgoorlie”; “Vanished: Canada’s missing women”

2018 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Overall Young Australian Journalist of the Year; All media: Public service journalism; All media: Longform Feature or Special

Ella Rubeli

“The Crowded Desert”; “The Boy Who Was Too Hard To Treat”; “The Town That Wouldn't Disappear”

2014 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Overall Young Australian Journalist of the Year

Ashley Argoon

“A beautiful tomorrow”; “Cry for help”; “'We're shadows of our former selves'”; “Radio hosts air headspace call”

2013 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Overall Young Australian Journalist of the Year; Print/text based journalism

Yaara Bou Melhem

“Freedom's Call”

2011 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Overall Young Australian Journalist of the Year; Television/video journalism

Latika Bourke

“Tony Abbott has the numbers and will challenge Malcolm Turnbull for the Liberal Leadership”

2010 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Overall Young Australian Journalist of the Year; Radio/audio journalism

Julia Medew

"Hospitals Creating Ghost Wards"

2009 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Overall Young Australian Journalist of the Year; Print/text based reporting

Sophie McNeill

“"Palestine; Divided it Falls"

2008 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Overall Young Australian Journalist of the Year; Television/Video Journalism

Laura Murphy-Oates

“Reporting on Indigenous affairs"

2019 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

All media: Public service journalism

Luke Henriques-Gomes

“Robodebt leaks expose botched scheme’s failure”

2020 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

All media: Shortform journalism

Ella Archibald-Binge

“Australia’s stolen wages shame”

2020 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

All media: Longform Feature or Special

Sherryn Groch

“Culture of fear’: Canberra private school engulfed by bullying allegations”

2020 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Coverage of Community & Regional Affairs

Marty Smiley, Jack Tulleners and Pat Forrest

“Christian Democratic Party”

2020 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Visual Storytelling

Annika Blau and Zoe Osborne

"Women in Asia: Growing up as a living goddess”; “My Huong thought she’d finally found her mother after the war”; “Inside Nepal’s forbidden kingdom”

2019 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

All media: Visual Storytelling

Isabella Higgins

“Life in the grips of a suicide crisis” “Strength in the suicide community” and “The fight of our lives”

2019 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

All media: Shortform journalism

Henry Zwartz

“‘This is Tasmania’s Ballarat’: Abuse survivors speak out”

2019 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Coverage of Community/Regional Affairs

Emily Verdouw

“Dangerous games?”

2018 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Television/Video Journalism

Alexis Daish

“Parolee rape”, “Ravenhall riot”, “Wild weather/Spirit of Tasmania”

2016 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Television/Video Journalism

Elise Worthington

“Facing hereditary cancer and its agonising choices”

2015 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Television/Video Journalism

Joel Tozer

“Inside Providence: The secretive Korean church led by a convicted rapist”; “Carmen's story: Living through the pain of abuse”; “Cotton Wool Kid”

2014 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Television/Video Journalism

Alexandra Fisher

“Born to run”; “Reclaiming childhood”

2013 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Television/Video Journalism

Jake Sturmer

“Katanning Hostel Abuse”

2012 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Television/Video Journalism; Overall Young Australian Journalist of the Year

Sophie McNeill

“Afghanistan’s shame”

2010 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Television/Video Journalism

Yaara Bou Melhem

“"Jordan: Jailing the Innocent"

2009 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Television/Video Journalism

Andre Nassiri

“The dark side of Africa’s ‘poster child’” and “Who wins when Rwanda plays the ‘genocide guilt card’”

2020 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Student Journalist of the Year

Matilda Boseley

“‘I had no way of getting home’: Calls for changes to liquor laws”; “Grey Area: Let’s Talk About Rape”; “ZOE – Vegans Invade a Melbourne Slaughterhouse”

2019 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Student Journalist of the Year

Jarni Blakkarly

“Democracy rising”, “Behind the mask of an emergency”, “Australian cuts to climate change research may hit drive into Asia”

2016 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Student Journalist of the Year

Saimi Jeong

“Inside Sydney's female body-building scene”; “Global fundraising company keeps $7m of $12.2m raised for Special Olympics”; “Charities’ hidden costs: the company they keep”

2015 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Student Journalist of the Year

Holly Humphreys

“Call for better life for dairy's rejects”

2014 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Student Journalist of the Year

Siobhan Fogarty

“Domestic violence in the Central West of New South Wales”

2013 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Student Journalist of the Year

Eryk Bagshaw

“The great university entry charade”; “Gaming the system”; “University revolution proposes national entry scheme”

2016 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Text based journalism

Benjamin Collins

“A profile of the Australian artist Nigel Milsom; The forgotten residents of Grantham; The Iraqi Refugee Who Tried To Repay Over $18,000 In Welfare Money After He Became A Success”

2014 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Text based journalism

Anthony DeCeglie

“Karl in Fire Fallout”

2010 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Text based journalism

Rosie Squires

“Our Shame”

2010 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Text based journalism

Erik Jensen

“The blackbuck stops here: zoo caught misleading public”

2010 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Text based journalism

Ben Doherty

“Unbowed Howard Takes It on the Chin”

2008 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Text based journalism

Alice Matthews

“Sexual harassment rife in medical profession, warns surgeon; Universities consider sexual harassment education in health courses”

2015 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Radio/audio journalism

Caitlyn Gribbin

“The Kununurra Midnight Prowlers; Bushfire residents return home; Graziers turn to desperate measures”

2014 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Radio/audio journalism

Caitlyn Gribbin

"Miners speak out about drug culture; Bundaberg floods helicopter rescue; Farmers desperate for new drought policy"

2013 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Radio/audio journalism

Gina McKeon

"St Vincent’s Church in Redfern"

2012 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Radio/audio journalism

John Connell

"Whatever happened to OV78?"

2011 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Radio/audio journalism

Michael Atkin

"Getting Out of Juvi"

2009 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Radio/audio journalism

Michael Atkin

“Goat Death”

2015 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Radio/audio journalism

Rohan Thomson

“Robyn's story; The Morticians; Into the cage”

2015 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Camerawork

Ella Rubeli

“Trying to Beat TB; Lives Apart: Katherine Cummings; At The Coalface”

2013 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Camerawork

Liam Mannix

"InDaily’s pollie tracker: what’s your MP been up to?; More pubs, less live music? ; Interactive maps: SA’s pokies and disadvantage"

2014 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

All media: Innovation in Journalism

Liam Mannix

"Unis accused of bonus points war; Adelaide metro bus frequency map; Mapping SA’s population shifts"

2013 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

All media: Innovation in Journalism

Jason Edwards

“Holding us together”

2010 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Photography

Harrison Saragossi

2010 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Photography

James Brickwood

“Parkour in Motion; Mahon Pool; Warehouse - Illegal Party Scene”

2010 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Photography

Sandie Bertrand

“Grylls; Fireworks; Dust”

2009 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Photography

Andrew Quilty

"Untitled Utopia"

2008 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Photography

Miranda Grant

“What’s keeping you going Grantham?”

2012 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Online journalism

Asher Moses

“Revealed: how Vodafone dealers bend the rules posing as customers”

2011 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Online journalism

Drew Ambrose

“Black Saturday”

2010 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Online journalism

Nic MacBean

"Profiteers, Looters Circle in Firestorm's Aftermath"

2008 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Online journalism

Asher Moses

“PM’s Staff edited Wikipedia”

2008 Young Journalist of the Year Awards

Online journalism

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