WA Media Awards


The WA Media Awards are presented annually by the Western Australian Journalists Association.
The awards recognise outstanding work by Western Australian reporters, photographers, graphic designers, cartoonists, sub-editors, television camera people and other media workers.
The awards are generally judged by senior media workers, as well as academics, former media workers, judges, businesspeople and others. The qualifying period is usually the 12 months from the beginning of September to the end of August. The 2012 awards were presented at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on 3 November 2012 by Craig Smart from Channel 10 and Emmy Kubainski from Channel 7. The 2012 awards were hosted by The West Australian media workers Kate Ferguson and Daniel Hatch. The 2011 awards were presented by Matt Tinney and Narelda Jacobs at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Perth on 5 November 2011.
The most prestigious individual awards are the Daily News Centenary Prize, which, like the Gold Walkley, is presented to the stand-out winner of all the awards; the Arthur Lovekin Prize in Journalism; and the Clarion Prize, which is awarded for outstanding achievement by a member of the Australian Journalists Section of the WA Branch of the MEAA.
Journalists to have been highly successful have been Steve Pennells, Sean Cowan, Gary Adshead, Paige Taylor, John Flint, Colleen Egan, and Joe Spagnolo. Pennells, Egan and Flint have also won Walkley Awards.
Adshead and Cowan have each won three WA Journalist of the Year awards, though two of those were shared, while Egan and Victoria Laurie have each won two, one of which was shared.

Awards for 2010

Awarded for the best news story or series of news stories published in a newspaper or periodical.
Awarded for the best illustration, cartoon or graphic in print.
Awarded for the best news photograph.
Awarded for best feature photograph or series on the same subject.
Awarded for the best three headlines written by a sub-editor in newspaper or periodical.
Awarded for the three best news stories or features published in a country newspaper that appears at least once a week and which circulates outside a 70 km radius of central Perth. This category includes all country papers, but not specialist rural publications such as the Countryman or Farm Weekly.
Awarded for the three best news stories or published in a Perth suburban newspaper that appears at least once a week and which circulates within a 70 km radius of Perth.
Awarded for the best news story or series of news stories broadcast on television.
Awarded for the best illustration, cartoon or graphic in electronic media.
Awarded for the best camera work in news, current affairs or sport coverage.
Awarded for the best news story or series of news stories broadcast on radio.
Awarded for the best consumer affairs reporting in any medium.
In memory of columnist Matt Price
Awarded for the best political reporting in any medium.
Awarded for best feature story in any medium. The award honours the memory of feature writer Hugh Schmitt. The award includes radio and TV feature stories and documentaries.
Awarded for the best feature story that raises awareness of health-related issues and promotes health or wellbeing.
Awarded for the best resources story in any medium.
Awarded for the best health and medical news story in any medium.
Awarded for the best business, economics or finance story in any medium.
Awarded for the best sports story in any medium. This prize honours the memory of Doug Gilmour, former sports editor, and Geoff Christian, sportswriter and broadcaster.
Open to cadets and journalists in their first full year of grading. Entrants to submit their three best pieces of work, showing a range of skills and style. This prize honours the memory of AJA members Jack Eaves, Selwyn Prior and Merv Day who took a great interest in the training and development of young journalists.
Open to all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate journalism students enrolled at a West Australian tertiary institution and not employed as journalists. Entrants to submit up to three pieces of their best work, showing a range of skills and styles.
Open to all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate journalism students enrolled at a West Australian tertiary institution and not employed as journalists. Entrants to submit up to three pieces of their best work, showing a range of skills and styles.
Awarded for the best culture and arts story in any medium. The award honours the memory of Albert H C Kornweibel, who was famed throughout Australia for his music critiques as Fidelio, and his work as a reviewer of books, dance and drama.
Awarded for the best news story or series of news stories on the Internet that maximise the use of the online medium.
This award goes to a member who has, in the opinion of the AJA section, made the greatest contribution to the profession in WA during the year. The committee considers the quality of work and other ways in which the member has contributed to journalism and the Alliance.

1987 winners