Australia’s newspapers and news sites copped a serve from awards host Julia Zemiro at tonight’s PANPA Newspaper of the Year presentations.
Between the handing out of gongs, the feisty star of RocKwiz and SBS’ coverage of the Eurovision song contest used her platform to take issue with a journalist’s suggestion that she was drunk while reporting on this year’s songfest.
Having a go at the ‘have a go’ journalist she named only as ‘Nick’, she told her side of the story – involving giant stairways and a beaker of soft drink – to those who were celebrating the successes of the publications concerned. You can Google the report and its author online.
There was also a parting shot from Zemiro, quoting a line from Broadcast News about the Devil “lowering standards, a bit at a time”.
As it turned out, robust journalism was in fashion on the night, with Brisbane’s Courier-Mail – which has made the often-unacknowledged Photoshop manipulation of images a celebrated artform – declared Newspaper of the Year in the top national/metro category.
Judges said the newspaper “brilliantly articulated” a strategy its identified as “aiming to surprise” readers every day. In a top class field, it edged the rest through its “lively and original approach to journalism”.
The gala event at Sydney’s Ivy Ballroom was the climax of a two-day Future Forum organized by industry group The Newspaper Works.
Publishers in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan were among winners as awards went for best newspapers, web sites, apps and digital innovation, photography and technical excellence. Awards for advertising and marketing were presented the previous night.
Among technical awards, Fairfax Media’s North Richmond site was named inaugural print centre of the year.
Winner of this year’s Hegarty Scholarship is Mark Baker (right) of Fairfax’s Launceston Examiner, named young executive of the year.
Awards were as follows:
NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
National / Metro The Courier-Mail
Regional Newcastle Herald
Community The Gympie Times
WEEKEND NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
The Weekend Australian
NON-DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
Regional The Land
Community St George & Sutherland Shire Leader
TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE
PRINT CENTRE OF THE YEAR
Fairfax Media Print & Distribution, North Richmond, NSW
SINGLE-WIDTH
National / Metro Apple Daily Printing (Hong Kong)
Regional The Geraldton Guardian
Community Bairnsdale Advertiser
DOUBLE-WIDTH
National / Metro The West Australian
Regional Sunshine Coast Daily
Community New Zealand Chinese Herald
PRE-PRINT OR SUPPLEMENT
Northern Daily Leader Tamworth Regional Council Supplement
ENVIRONMENT
News Corp Australia 1 Degree's FY2014 Environmental Awareness Campaign
PHOTOGRAPHY
PORTRAIT
National / Metro Chef Trois – Matt Turner, The Advertiser, Adelaide
Regional Brave Shaylene – Addison Hamilton, Daily Advertiser
Community Girl & Her Horse – Matt Bedford, Armidale Express
FEATURES AND LIFESTYLE
National / Metro From Victoria with Love – Jason Edwards, Sunday Herald Sun
Regional Making a Splash – Brendan Radke, Gold Coast Bulletin
Community King Rocco – Justin Brierty, The Centralian Advocate
SPORT
National / Metro Hair Apparent – Wayne Ludbey, The Courier-Mail
Regional (TIE) Cricket at the Speed of Fright – Jon Gellweiler, South
Western Times
Heat Stroke – Jim Aldersey, Bendigo Advertiser
Community Jesse Rodgers – Jon Hewson, Mandurah Coastal Times
NEWS
National / Metro Haiyan Typhoon – Brendan Esposito, The Sydney Morning
Herald
Regional Fires – Phil Hearne, Newcastle Herald
Community Ugly Side of Footy – Geoff Jones, Hawkesbury Gazette
DIGITAL
BEST MOBILE SITE
mX – App for Smartphones
BEST NICHE / SPECIALITY APP OR MICROSITE
The Canberra Times The Silent War
DIGITAL INNOVATION OF THE YEAR
The Straits Times, Singapore Communities Platform
NEWS SITE OF THE YEAR
National / Metro (TIE) Apple Daily, Taiwan (appledaily.com.tw)
The Advertiser, Adelaide (advertiser.com.au)
Regional Newcastle Herald (theherald.com.au)
HEGARTY INDUSTRY SCHOLARSHIP
Mark Baker, Launceston Examiner, Fairfax Media
The 2014 Advertising & Marketing were announced in Sydney on Wednesday night. The full list of winners are:
ADVERTISING AWARDS WINNERS:
PRINT AWARDS
BEST SINGLE ADVERTISEMENT FOR A CLIENT
National/Metro Sunday News, Fairfax NZ – Turbo
Regional The Cairns Post – Active Health
Community Noosa News – Franks Noosa Fitness
BEST PRINT CAMPAIGN FOR A CLIENT
National/Metro News Corp Australia – Touring Tasmania
Regional Geelong Advertiser – Geelong Travel Expo
Community Coffs Coast Advocate – Parkbeach Plaza Shop for Coffs Coast Schools
BEST FEATURE / SUPPLEMENT / NATIVE ADVERTISING ENVIRONMENT
National/Metro The Daily & Sunday Telegraph / Herald Sun / Courier-Mail + 82 community publications – Shop Small, American Express
Regional Newcastle Herald – DisabilityCare Australia
Community The Courier, Narrabri – Centenary Edition
BEST PRINT IDEA OR INNOVATION PRESENTED TO A CLIENT OR AGENCY
National/Metro Sunday News – Turbo
Regional Manning Great Lakes Extra – The Tradies Toolbox
Community Leader Community Newspapers – Hoyts Ribbon
DIGITAL ADVERTISING
BEST SINGLE ADVERTISEMENT FOR A CLIENT
National/Metro The Sydney Morning Herald – South Australian Tourism Commission
Regional Illawarra Mercury – Three Chimneys
BEST DIGITAL CAMPAIGN FOR A CLIENT
National/Metro The New Zealand Herald – Silver Fern Farms
Regional The Examiner, Launceston – Tasmanian Turf Club
BEST DIGITAL IDEA OR INNOVATION
The Sydney Morning Herald – Lego Blockbuster
BEST MICROSITE / NATIVE ADVERTISING
The New Zealand Herald – Tourism Australia – Wish It Win It
TRANSMEDIA – BEST INTEGRATED CAMPAIGN FOR A CLIENT
news.com.au / Herald Sun / Daily Telegraph / Courier-Mail / The Advertiser, Adelaide – NAB Traveller Card Campaign
CRAFT
BEST COPYWRITING
The Australian Magazine, The Weekend Australian – ANZ Campaign
MARKETING AWARDS WINNERS
TRADE CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
National/Metro Fairfax Media – Weekend Compact Launch
Regional Sunshine Coast Daily – Town Proud
Community Community Newspaper Group – Food for Thought
CONSUMER CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
National/Metro The Sydney Morning Herald & The Age – Clique, Photographers’ Association
Regional Bendigo Advertiser - News Now
Community Leader Community Newspapers – Leader Local Grants
BEST CAUSE-RELATED CAMPAIGN OR COMMUNITY SERVICE
National/Metro The Daily Telegraph & The Sunday Telegraph – We’re For The Bush
Regional The Land – Glove Box Guide to Mental Health
Community Community Newspaper Group – HBF Junior Sports Hero Awards
SPONSORSHIP OF THE YEAR
National/Metro stuff.co.nz – Round the Bays
Regional (TIE) Post-Courier, Papua New Guinea – Sponsorship of United Bougainville Training Institute
The Courier – Run Ballarat Sponsorship
Community Hutt News / Upper Hutt Leader – Great Toyota Giveaway
BEST YOUNG READER PROGRAM
The Fiji Times – Kaila! – Design Your Own Newspaper Project
EXECUTIVE EXCELLENCE WINNERS
TEAM COLLABORATION / TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR
News Corp Australia; Herald Sun / heraldsun.com.au / mX / Leader Community Newspapers / The Australian – Melbourne Now Campaign
CREATIVE SERVICES TEAM OF THE YEAR
Advertising Creative Team, APN News & Media, New Zealand
SALES PERSON OF THE YEAR
Edwina Sahhar, Fairfax Media
SALES TEAM OF THE YEAR
National Agency Sales Team, Fairfax Media
DESIGNER / CREATIVE SERVICES PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR
TIE Melanie Yun, News Corp Australia
Clare Catt, News Corp Australia
SALES MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Chris Gallichio, Herald & Weekly Times / Leader Community Newspapers
MARKETING TEAM OF THE YEAR
National Trade Marketing Team, Fairfax Media
MARKETER OF THE YEAR
Johnson Goh, Swee Gim - Singapore Press Holdings
The Judges for the 2014 awards were:
Gai Le Roi, Paul Dovas, Simon Wake, Sunita Gloster, Nicole Boyd, Sophie Madden, Denise Shrivel, Peter Miller, Jane Schulze, John Sintras, Mark Harricks, Ray Black, Allison Whitelaw, Matthew Green, Rick Slowgrove, Grant Booker, Jenny Stiles, Dean Gould, Ashadi Hopper, Tom Cooper, Herbert Kieleithner, Scott Player, Jay Morgan, Ian Perrin, John Kroll, Kim Dalton, Warren Beeby, Rick Neville, Tony Gillies, Darrell Mullen, Peter Clark, Steve Packham, Peter Coleman, John Hancock, David Hovenden, Doug Wills, Gavin Ellis, Peter Cornelius, Glen Frost, Chris Pash, Justin Stone, Tim Burrowes, Brad Howarth, Marcelo Silva, Claudia Sagripanti, Joe Zeff, Andre Slade, Simon Sharwood, Mark Challinor, Richard De Nys, Stuart Cameron, Karyn Crawford, Bill Cain, Cheryl Senter, David Leeson, Geoff Hiscock, Jeff Darmanin, Andy Moger, Hugh Martin, Samantha Amjadhali, Malcolm Alder, Ian Moore (non-voting chair of Newspaper of the Year panel).