Awards 2025
Excellence in rural journalism celebrated at the 2025 Awards
The winners
Awards spotlight domestic violence, climate disasters and critical policy reporting
20 November 2025
Domestic violence, climate disasters and consumer expectations around agriculture were some of the major themes highlighted by the winners of the National Rural Press Club Awards this year.
Run by the National Rural Press Club (NRPC) based in Canberra, the awards celebrate reporting on national policy issues important to rural and regional Australia. The winners were announced on Thursday.
President of the NRPC, Gabrielle Chan, said it was heartening to see such quality reporting and photographic work in the face of dwindling resources to fund rural stories and rural media outlets.
It is a testament to the dedication of all the journalists and photographers who entered that they continue to produce such compelling work under such difficult circumstances.
Chan said the awards would not be possible without the generous support of Westpac, Nutrien, CropLife and the National Press Club.
ABC reporters Harrison Tippet and Bec Symons won the CropLife Best News Story for Regional Victorians almost twice as likely to experience family violence. The judges said it provided a comprehensive analysis of violent family offences, with a strong and audience-specific angle and clear policy points.
Tippet also won the Nutrien Journalist of the Year for a body of work including exclusive news breaks, unique analysis and human-interest features delivered with sensitivity. Judges noted his dexterity, with reporting skills in radio, broadcast and online, as journalist, photographer and videographer. Pip Courtney was runner up in that category.
It’s an honour to do the work we do in regional Victoria. A lot of people see regional and rural journalism as a stepping stone, but once you’ve done it for a while, you can see why so many people just make a full career out of it.
Symons said she was grateful for the recognition of a nationwide policy issue.
So many women who have gone through domestic violence don’t have a voice and we only hear their stories once they’ve been killed. To see our investigation honoured in this way gives me hope that society is changing. I’m truly grateful.
Freelance photographer Dean Sewell, shooting for the Guardian, won the National Press Club’s Photograph of the Year for his remarkably graphic work reporting from Taree’s floods during the year. As rural Australia reels from increasing climate disasters, Sewell’s work captures the heartache of a dairy farmer struggling to bury his beloved milking cows. Judges said the series was a standout amongst this year’s entrants.
Just watching him drag the cows unceremoniously into a pit, you could see we were watching his life, his whole livelihood, being buried.
Land journalist Eliza Spencer won Westpac’s Young Journalist of the Year, impressing the judges with her portfolio after less than two years of reporting experience. Judges said Spencer had a strong grasp of the issues relevant to her readership, covering key policy developments for the community and prompting interaction with readers both in print and online.
Judges made a special effort to highly commend Brooke Littlewood of Farm Weekly, noting her entry was wide-ranging and included detailed, audience-focused coverage. Her work on the live sheep export debate and support packages was arguably the most significant national policy issue affecting her readers, and the entry also included a breadth of community profiles.
Winners by category
National Press Club Photograph of the Year
Winner: Dean Sewell
CropLife Best News Story
Winners: Harrison Tippet and Bec Symons
Westpac Young Journalist
Winner: Eliza Spencer
Nutrien Journalist of the Year
Winner: Harrison Tippet
Runner up: Pip Courtney
Highly commended: Brooke Littlewood
Media enquiries
How to enter
Categories, criteria and entry conditions
Each category is supported by a club sponsor. Read the eligibility and judging criteria below before entering. Entry is open to all paid up members of the National Rural Press Club.
CropLife Best News Story ($2,000)
Eligibility: Rural newsrooms are under extraordinary pressure to cover large areas and complex topics with dwindling resources. This award recognises excellent news breaking by a rural journalist under deadline pressure. Entries must relate to rural and regional federal policy issues, published or broadcast between 31 October 2024 and 31 October 2025.
Judging criteria: Outstanding work on a developing news story revealing significant new information about an issue affecting rural and regional Australia. Judged on newsworthiness, accuracy, clarity, originality and depth. Judges also take into account the resources available to the journalist and whether they are regionally based.
Process: Submit a 200 word supporting summary describing how the story came about, the resources available, where the journalist was based, where it was published or broadcast, and its impact and feedback.
Submissions can be a single report or up to three reports on the same issue. Reports can be PDF files, accessible weblinks, or audio or video links. Weblinks are only accepted if freely accessible without registration or paywalls. If your work is behind a paywall, upload an accessible copy such as a PDF, or your entry may be disqualified.
Westpac Judges’ Choice for Best Young Journalist
Eligibility: Recognises a young rural journalist in the early stage of their career (under 30) who has shown a talent for and commitment to reporting issues that matter to rural and regional Australia.
Judging criteria: Rural journalists work under extraordinary and diverse conditions across the country on multiple platforms, with varying levels of resources. Judges assess consistency in timeliness, accuracy, context, balance and impact, taking into account the resources available and working conditions.
Process: Submit a 200 word supporting summary describing how the portfolio reflects the journalist’s experience and skill, how the stories came about, the resources and working conditions, where they were based, where the work was published or broadcast, and the impact and feedback generated.
PDF files or audio or video links must be provided. Weblinks are only accepted if freely accessible without registration or paywalls.
National Press Club of Australia Best Photograph of the Year ($2,000)
Eligibility: Photographs must relate to rural and regional federal policy issues, taken in a rural area and published between 31 October 2024 and 31 October 2025. The photograph must be produced as an act of journalism, not for advertising or public relations, and must be free from commercial or corporate interests. Publication on social media is accepted as published.
Judging criteria: Judged on the value it adds to the overall story, the technical skill and creativity of the photographer, and its impact.
Process: Submit a 200 word summary of how the photograph came about, where it was published or broadcast, and what impact it had. Entries should include a weblink to the publication and a JPEG in its original pixel dimensions as shot.
Manipulation: Use of AI is not permitted. Only minimal editing for exposure and contrast is allowed. Cloning technology to alter the photograph is forbidden and image content must not be altered. Only retouching conforming to currently accepted industry standards is permitted: no montaging or digital manipulation other than cropping, digital spotting, burning and dodging. The judges are the arbiter of these standards and may ask to see raw camera files.
Metadata: Creation date, place, country, caption and copyright must be provided, either in the image metadata or as part of the entry.
Nutrien NRPC Journalist of the Year
$5,000 towards travel to the 2025 IFAJ Congress in Kenya
Eligibility: Recognises a body of work from a journalist telling the stories that matter to rural and regional Australia. Works can be news, feature or analysis across print, online or broadcast, published between 31 October 2024 and 31 October 2025. The works need not be related or share a subject, but must show a commitment to telling stories about and from rural and regional Australia.
Judging criteria: Judges assess consistency in timeliness, accuracy, context, balance, originality and impact, taking into account the resources available to the journalist and their working conditions.
Process: Submit a 200 word supporting summary describing how the portfolio reflects the journalist’s experience and skill, how the stories came about, the resources and working conditions, where they were based, where the work was published or broadcast, and the impact and feedback generated.
PDF files or audio or video links must be provided. Weblinks are only accepted if freely accessible without registration or paywalls.
Terms and conditions
- Entrants accept that responsibility lies with them to ensure submitted works can be accessed by judges and the National Rural Press Club throughout 2025, and that failure to do so could disqualify an entry.
- The NRPC and the judges have the right to reject an entry that in their opinion does not comply with the requirements of the competition. The judges’ decision is final.
- The NRPC reserves the right to withdraw an award if it later finds the entrant did not comply with any entry conditions.
- In the event of any complaint, the entrant agrees to cooperate with the NRPC in any investigation deemed necessary.
- Entrants must declare any and all use of artificial intelligence in producing the works entered and preparing their submission. This includes the use of generative AI to create text, artwork, photography, data visualisation and other graphics.