ABC scoops Mid-Year Walkley Prizes including Young Australian Journalist of the Year – ABC journalist April McLennan has been named Young Australian Journalist of the Year and the ABC has won six awards overall at the Walkley Foundation’s 2025 Mid-Year Media Prizes.
Tasmanian-based McLennan also won the categories of Public Service Journalism and Coverage of Community & Regional Affairs.
The judges said:
“April’s body of work across two subjects – unwanted medical intervention in childbirth and the accusations against former Launceston mayor Danny Gibson – deservedly earned her recognition in two categories, making her a fitting winner of the Young Journalist of the Year award.
“Her work shows tenacity, dedication, strong investigative and research skills, and a laudable commitment to difficult public interest journalism.”
The ABC News Breakfast team was awarded for Excellence in Reporting on Violence Against Women for the special coverage “Not Just a Number”.
Lia Walsh won for Innovative Storytelling for her social media reports on the US election.
Rudi Bremer, Teresa Tan and Daniel Browning from ABC Indigenous and ABC News Story Lab won the Arts Journalism & Arts Criticism Prize for “Australia, according to Archie Moore”.
ABC journalist/producer Jordan Fennell was awarded the Sean Dorney Grant for Pacific Journalism.
Full list of ABC winners and finalists at the mid-year Walkley Media Prizes:
John B Fairfax Family Young Australian Journalist of the Year
- April McLennan,ABC News & ABC Tasmania – WINNER
Coverage of community and regional affairs
- Alistair Bates, ABC Pilbara, ‘Remote Australians’
- April McLennan, ABC Tasmania (Launceston), ‘Birth rights’ – WINNER
Innovative Storytelling
- Alex Lim, ABC News, ‘The mullet is alive and well in AFL’, ‘A pattern set to failure’, ‘The Solar Rush’
- Lia Walsh, ABC News TikTok and Instagram accounts, ‘A Trump hater selling Trump merch’, ‘Has anyone checked on the Aussie expats?’, ‘Aussie journalist vs US frat party’ – WINNER
Visual storytelling
- Briana Fiore, ABC News, YouTube, ABC Instagram, ‘Uncovering Widespread Abuse in the Massage Industry’, ‘Ex-Brethrens on Breaking Free’, ‘Inside Hosanna Excelsis’
Public service journalism
- April McLennan, ABC News, ‘Former Launceston mayor Danny Gibson accused of unwanted sexual advances, sexting theatre student’ – WINNER
Women’s Leadership in Media Prize
- Ladies, We Need to Talk team, ABC Listen, ‘Perimenopause: WTF is happening to our bodies?’, ‘Is egg freezing all it’s cracked up to be?’, ‘PCOS: Infertility, beards and BS’
Our Watch Award for Excellence in Reporting on Violence Against Women
- ABC News Breakfast team, ABC, ‘Not Just a Number – ABC News Breakfast Special Coverage’ – WINNER
- Fiona Pepper, All in the Mind, ABC Radio National; ABC News, ‘Robyn was jailed for the murder of her husband. Now she works as a domestic violence consultant’
Media Diversity Australia Prize
- Tahnee Jash & Stephanie Boltje, ABC News, ABC Tik Tok and Instagram, ‘Eric Yunkaporta’s family speak out after ’disgusting’ viral TikTok trend’
Arts Journalism & Arts Criticism Prize
- Rudi Bremer, Teresa Tan, Daniel Browning, ABC Indigenous and ABC News Story Lab, ’This is Australia, according to Archie Moore’ – WINNER
Media Release – ABC
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ABC scoops Mid-Year Walkley Prizes including Young Australian Journalist of the Year
