Excellence in Rural Journalism Awards 2023

ABC journalist Jeremy Story Carter has taken out the Nutrien Ag Solutions Overall Winner for his feature story ‘Kick in Hope’ at the National Rural Press Club’s Excellence in Rural Journalism Awards in Canberra tonight.

Jeremy’s winning entry gives a ‘fly on the wall’ account of the power of local footy on King Island and was described by the judges as ‘compelling reading’. Jeremy even added his own outstanding photographs to the story.

‘Kick in Hope’ also took out the Animal Medicines Australia Best Feature Award. Jeremy, a member of the ABC’s national regional reporting team, receives $5,000 towards his attendance at the 2024 International Federation of Agriculture Journalists Congress in Switzerland.

NRPC President Kath Sullivan said the judges had a difficult task with journalists and photographers making the most of another eventful year on the rural and regional beat.

The job of rural reporters is to connect Australians with the must-know important stories from our primary industries and country communities. The entrants in this year’s awards did just that.

The judges, some of the most well-known and respected names in rural and political journalism said the quality of the reporting was outstanding and remarked picking a winner in each and every category was a difficult decision.

The Westpac Best News Story was awarded to The Australian’s Charlie Peel for his series on the big city to bush migration trend. The judges noted that Charlie presented not only the data on the emerging migration patterns but also the personal accounts of Australians who had made the shift, providing their perspective on what influenced their move.

Dean Sewell took out Photograph of the Year for his series of bushfire images filed for the Sydney Morning Herald. The award was sponsored by the National Press Club of Australia.

The much-coveted CropLife Scoop of the Year Award went to The Weekly Times‘ Jason Gregory for his Budget expose on the huge cash injection planned for Australia’s biosecurity regime derived from a new line-up of fees and charges on farmers.

The Judges’ Choice Award, sponsored by C7EVEN, went to ABC Landline’s Tim Lee for his story Satellite Stock Squad, which depicted the helplessness victims of stock theft feel and the potential for a new eye-in-the-sky weapon to combat the crime.

NRPC President Kath Sullivan congratulated the winners and runners up and thanked the club’s sponsors and award partners for their contribution in 2023.