Awards
National Rural Press ClubExcellence in Rural Journalism Awards
Awards open September 15-October 31, 2023.Winners to be announced at the National Press Club on November 23, 2023.
These awards recognise members who are leaders in Australia’s rural media sector. Winners of these awards will be eligible to qualify for the Australian Council for Agricultural Journalists professional awards.
The NRPC is affiliated with the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ), which in turn is an active member of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ).
These associations give the NRPC Australia-wide connections and international standing while enabling journalists who enter our local Awards to go further in achieving reward and recognition.
Please note to be eligible for the 2023 National Rural Press Club Awards, entrants must be paid up members of the club as of October 31, 2023.
Categories
Westpac Best News Story Award ($2,000)
Eligibility: Entries must relate to rural and regional Federal policy issues, with stories published or broadcast between October 31, 2022 and October 31, 2023. Entry is open to all paid up members of the National Rural Press Club.
Judging criteria: The award recognises outstanding work on a developing news story or daily round, under the pressure of deadlines. Stories will be judged according to their impact, newsworthiness, accuracy and timeliness.
Process: Applicants must submit a 200 word supporting summary of how the story came about, where it was published and/or broadcast, what impact it had and what feedback it generated. Submissions can be a single report or a series of reports on the same issue, with no more than three reports included per entry. PDF files, audio or video links of stories must also be provided. Please note, weblinks will not be accepted.
Animal Medicines Australia Best Feature Story Award ($2,000)
Eligibility: Entries must relate to rural and regional Federal policy issues, with stories published or broadcast between October 31, 2022 and October 31, 2023. Entry is open to all paid up members of the National Rural Press Club.
Judging criteria: This award is recognition of an in-depth exploration of a particular rural or regional issue. The emphasis is on quality writing or scripting, as well as the attention paid to creativity, originality and impact.
Process: Applicants must submit a 200 word supporting summary of how the feature came about, where it was published and/or broadcast and what impact it had on the target audience. One feature per entry only. PDF files, audio or video files of stories must also be provided. Please note, weblinks will not be accepted.
CropLife Australia Scoop of the Year Award ($2,000)
Eligibility: Entries must relate to rural and regional Federal policy issues, with stories published or broadcast between October 31, 2022 and October 31, 2023. Entry is open to all paid up members of the National Rural Press Club.
Judging criteria: Recognition of the most original and exclusive story broken by a journalist between October 2021 and October 2022. Judges will consider the skill of the reporter in gathering the information, the difficulty in publishing or broadcasting the story and the public impact it had.
Process: Applicants must submit a 200 word supporting summary of how the scoop came about, where it was published and/or broadcast and what impact it had on the target audience. PDF files, audio or video links of stories must also be provided. Please note, weblinks will not be accepted.
National Press Club of Australia Best Photograph of The Year Award ($2000)
Eligibility: Entries must relate to rural and regional Federal policy issues, with stories published between October 31, 2022 and October 31, 2023. Entry is open to all paid up members of the National Rural Press Club.
Judging criteria: Recognition of a photo taken to help tell the news story behind a rural or regional issue/news event. The photograph will be judged according to the value it adds to the overall story, as well as the technical skill and creativity of the photographer.
Process: Applicants must submit a 200 word supporting summary of how the photograph came about, where it was published and/or broadcast and what impact it had on the target audience. PDF files of the photograph must also be provided. Please note, weblinks will not be accepted.
Best New Journalist or Cadet Award ($2,000)
Eligibility: Open to all rural and regional journalists working in their first year at a media outlet across any platform. Entrants must be from the Canberra region (ACT, NSW South Coast, Yass, Goulburn, Snowy Mountains). Entry is open to all paid up members of the National Rural Press Club.
Judging criteria: Recognition of an up-and-coming reporter who has demonstrated outstanding potential in their field. The winner will have shown dedication to developing their craft while uncovering rural and regional stories that have resonated with local and/or national audiences.
Process: Applicants must submit a 200 word supporting summary of how they’ve approached their first year in the job and what their main achievements have been. Entrants must also include two examples of stories or reports to demonstrate the quality of their work. PDF files, audio or video links of stories must also be provided. Please note, weblinks will not be accepted.
Overall Winner
($5000 towards travel to the 2024 IFAJ Congress in Switzerland)
Eligibility: The overall winner will be chosen from the four category winners. The winner will be awarded up to $5,000 to attend the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress.
Judging criteria: The winner will be selected by the judges from the other categories. If the National Rural Press Club winner is also a national winner, the travel bursary will go to the National Rural Press Club runner up.