Tuesday, December 15, 2015
2015 Telstra & Rural Business Support Rural Media Award Winners Announced (Dec 2015)
From a large number of outstanding entries, ABC journalist Prue Adams and News Limited photographer Matt Turner have taken home the major prizes at the 20th anniversary 2015 Telstra & Rural Business Support Media Awards announced at the Adelaide Showground.
Prue Adams came through the adjudication process after clearly winning the television section. This is her third major Rural Media South Australia (RMSA) journalism title, previously winning in 1997 and 2008. She has worked on the ABC Landline program for 20 years, matching the time span of these awards.
Prue delivered a pre-recorded acceptance speech. She was overseas and unable to attend the function.
Matt Turner has been a winner of several of the sectional awards in past years, but this is his first Telstra & Rural Business Support Photographer of the Year Award. He won the ‘People’ section of the Awards and his overall photo portfolio this year was exceptional.
Elizabeth Anderson from the Stock Journal won the RMSA award for the Best Royal Adelaide Show story. Sponsored by the RAH&S Education Fund, the award was presented by RAH&S President & RMSA Icon Richard Fewster (right). They are with RMSA Chair of the Rural Journalism judging panel, Dale Manson.
RMSA Chair of the Rural Journalism judging panel, Dale Manson and Celia Brissenden, representing sponsor PIRSA are with Peri Strathearn, Murray Valley Standard after presenting him with the award for Best Rural/Regional Print Journalist at the RMSA 2015 Telstra & Rural Business Support Rural Media Awards.
RMSA President, Ian Doyle and Trevor Ranford, representing sponsor Horticulture SA are with Danielle Grindlay, ABC Radio after presenting her with the award for Best Rural Radio Journalist at the RMSA 2015 Telstra & Rural Business Support Rural Media Awards
Telstra’s State Manager Chris Marks presented the Telstra & Rural Business Support Rural Journalist of the Year Award. “We fully understand the importance of communication in regional Australia and the wonderful role rural journalists play in that communication process by covering rural issues in South Australia so professionally.”
“We are extremely proud to have been such a long term supporter of these awards in recognising excellence of effort and encouraging sustained commitment to such an important vocation” Chris said.
Rural Business Support’s Chief Executive Officer Brett Smith presented the award to Matt. “We are pleased to recognise the achievements of some of the State’s best rural photographers and journalists and to be partnering with Telstra and Rural Media SA for our third year.
“The passion that these talented individuals have in their field is exemplary. Rural Business Support continues to benefit from extensive media coverage and we look forward to continuing to build on those relationships,” Brett said.
The 20th anniversary of the Awards was celebrated by the attendance of many of the winners from previous years. They participated in a cake cutting ceremony.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Leon Bignell also attended the function. "I've always appreciated the vital role rural journalists and photographers play in keeping people informed. Today is a day when we celebrate excellence through the Rural Media Awards and I congratulate all the finalists and winners.
"I look forward to working with each and every one of you for another year where we deal with the important issues for people in our regional areas and bring the stories of the country into the homes of people in the city,” Mr. Bignell said.
RMSA President Ian Doyle thanked Telstra for its significant and continuous support as a major sponsor of these awards for the past 20 years and Rural Business Support for its joint major sponsorship for the last three years. This has allowed the expanded recognition of high achievement across all forms of rural media to continue. As a celebration of their 20 years of sponsorship, Telstra also sponsored the attendance of all past winners of the journalism and photography awards to this celebratory luncheon and we sincerely thank them for the generosity of this gesture.
He also paid recognition to Primary Industries and Regions SA, Fuller, South Australian Horticultural Services, the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society, AgCommunicators and Superior Selections for their valued supporting sponsorship in making these awards possible.
Each journalist and photographer was asked to submit a portfolio of his or her work, published or broadcast in the 12 months to October 31st 2015.
An award for the Best Rural/Regional Print Journalist was presented for the fourth year as a special incentive and recognition of the difficulty small regional publications and their staff face when competing against the resources of bigger media corporations. The fourth winner of this award was Peri Strathearn from the Murray Valley Standard.
“Regionally based journalists have a unique opportunity to develop a wide range of skills. Many of our major award winners started their careers in regional SA. This is an area of the awards we would like to grow and I’d strongly encourage even more participation next year,” Ian Doyle said.
Along similar lines, for the second year, an award was presented for the best photography portfolio from a rural journalist who is also required to take photographs to support their stories. The winner of this award was Alisha Fogden from the Stock Journal. Photographers are often underrated in their ability to give powerful imagery to support a story and when journalists also master this skill, it deserves to be recognised.
“With the various sub-sections for both journalism and photography including growth of on-line entries, it is good to see a range of high standard entrants receiving due recognition. As is our objective, the judges again had great difficulty in separating the winners from all entries of such high standard,” Ian Doyle said.
2015 Telstra & Rural Business Support Rural Media Awards Results
Journalism
2015 Best Regional Print Journalist Award (Supported by Rural Media SA)
Winner: Peri Strathearn (The Murray Valley Standard)
AV Presentation link
Highly Commended: Genevieve Cooper (The Courier)
Claire Campbell (The Murray Valley Standard)
2015 Best Rural Print Journalist Award (Supported by FULLER)
Winner: Nigel Austin (The Advertiser)
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Highly Commended: Elizabeth Anderson (Stock Journal)
2015 Best Rural Radio Journalist Award (Supported by SA Horticultural Services)
Winner: Danielle Grindlay (ABC Rural Radio)
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2015 Best Rural Television Journalist Award (Sponsored by Telstra)
Winner: Prue Adams (ABC Television - Landline)
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2015 Best Rural On-line Journalist Award (Sponsored by Telstra)
Winner: Danielle Grindlay (ABC Rural)
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2015 Telstra & Rural Business Support Rural Journalist of the Year (Sponsored by Telstra)
Winner: Prue Adams (ABC Television - Landline)
AV Presentation link
Link to Prue's acceptance speech
About Prue Adams' win:
This year, Prue Adams’ portfolio of stories was head and shoulders ahead of any other entry.
The star in her portfolio was undoubtedly a Landline story on Q-Fever, an outstanding piece of journalism focused on an issue often ignored by many. Prue did a remarkable job to find compelling case studies across Australia and overseas to illustrate the different elements of the story.
She came across as an excellent interviewer of people from across the spectrum, irrespective of whether they were farmers, children or Federal Ministers. Apart from the Q Fever feature story, Prue’s other two pieces on Bioclip and Black Sheep genuinely stood out as superior journalism.
Prue Adams is a senior journalist working with ABC-TV’s national rural current affairs program, Landline.
She began her journalism career in Mt Gambier at SES Channel 8 in 1987 and after a stint working in the UK and USA, joined ABC-TV. In 1995 Prue became South Australian correspondent for Landline.
2015 Telstra & Rural Business Support Rural Media Awards Results
Photography
2015 Best Regional Print Photojournalist (Sponsored by AgCommunicators & Superior Selections)
Winner: Alisha Fogden (Stock Journal)
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Highly Commended: Carla Wiese-Smith (Stock Journal)
2015 Best Rural Photographer – Nature/Landscape Award (Sponsored by Rural Business Support)
Winner: Mark Brake (The Advertiser)
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Highly Commended: Matt Turner (The Advertiser)
2015 Best Rural Photographer – Production Award (Supported by PIRSA)
Winner: Dean Martin (The Advertiser)
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2015 Best Rural Photographer – People Award (Sponsored by Rural Business Support)
Winner: Matt Turner (The Advertiser)
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2015 Telstra & Rural Business Support Rural Photographer of the Year (Sponsored by Rural Business Support)
Winner: Matt Turner (The Advertiser)
AV Presentation link
About Matt Turner's win:
Matt Turner started with News Ltd as a copy person in 1986 at the Adelaide News until its demise in 1992. He was then a freelance photographer, working extensively with the Stock Journal and the Australian newspaper. Matt moved to Sydney in 1999 and worked with Getty Images during the Olympic Games, then the Sydney Telegraph.
Matt returned to Adelaide in 2003 and has been a general photographer with The Advertiser for the last 12 years.
Matt’s portfolio this year was extremely impressive. A highly commended entry in the Nature/Landscape section was topped off by his win in the People section. He work was technically brilliant; his people shots were full of emotion and his subject range showed he is very adaptable to a wide subject range, displaying great creativity.
2015 Best Adelaide Show Story Award (Sponsored by RA&HS Education foundation)
Winner: Elizabeth Anderson (Stock Journal)
AV Presentation link
Highly Commended: Lucy Robinson (Stories Well Told)
About Elizabeth Anderson's win:
Out of a very large pool of entries submitted in the Show Story category this year, the most outstanding was Elizabeth Anderson’s story of how 13 year old Tom Follett had taken up the mantle to reinstate the tradition of showing his family’s “Bremer View” Illawarra dairy stud.
The Royal Adelaide Show is all about tradition and Elizabeth Anderson’s story reinforced this.
It highlighted how despite one family’s 80-year tradition of showing stud dairy cattle at the ‘Royal being interrupted back in the 1990’s, a new younger-generation of family member had decided to rekindle the tradition 30 years down the track.
Elizabeth told a very interesting tale that focused on people and family. It was written in an extremely engaging and appealing manner that told the story of a 13 year old’s passion to become involved with the Royal Adelaide Show because of the personal development opportunities it could offer him, inside and outside of the show ring.
Elizabeth Anderson grew up on a family mixed-farming operation in central west NSW and following completion of her Bachelor of Media university studies, started working as an agricultural journalist at a Fairfax publication, based out of Dubbo.
She then switched to working as a sub-editor for a number of regional publications, went to the UK working for the ‘dark side’ as a communications officer for Jaguar Land Rover in Coventry, then decided to make the switch back to agricultural journalism, joining the Stock Journal team in August 2014.
2015 Best Adelaide Show Photograph Award (Sponsored by RA&HS Education foundation)
Winner: Jacqui Bateman (Freelance & contract Stock Journal correspondent & photographer)
AV Presentation link
About Jacqui Bateman's win:
Royal Bullseye: Showcasing the story behind the win was the reason for this image of Angus Llewellyn and his bull. Angus took home a whole swag of awards, including his first broad ribbon for senior champion Red Angus bull at this year’s Royal Adelaide Show. It is an informal portrait, celebrating their first major win and portrays the relationship between the boy and his bull. It featured on the front page of the Stock Journal’s show edition, the story and image being an introduction to the 44 page Adelaide Show coverage.
13 year old Angus also had wins in the 12-14 year old beef cattle paraders and the under 15 beef cattle judging classes, sending out a message that the future of the beef industry and agriculture in general is in very capable hands.The judges felt it was a very clean image and clearly depicts the professional side of the Royal Show. It displays a strong relationship between the animal and its young handler and demonstrates there is a strong rural business element to the show.
Jacqui Bateman is a rural photographer and part of a third generation farming family, based in the Limestone Coast, south eastern SA. Jacqui has been a Stock Journal correspondent for nearly 10 years, covering cattle markets, livestock events and a wide range of current rural issues. This year Jacqui was the Stock Journal’s official ‘Bovine Paparazzo’ at the beef cattle judging at the Royal Adelaide Show.
Rural Journalist Awards – Judging Panel Comments
Best Rural Journalist – Regional Print – Peri Strathearn (Murray Valley Standard)
Peri Strathearn’s stories were investigative and rurally focused. He displayed a solid talent for sourcing the hard-hitting rural stories that mattered to his local readership. Peri’s writing was balanced, broadly based, clear and concise. In particular, Peri’s story on a controversial local Water Forum covered all viewpoints, not just the popularist ones that may have appeased his traditional readership.
Displaying versatility in writing style, Peri also submitted an insightful profile piece focused on conservative media commentator, Andrew Bolt’s life as a youth growing up in the rural area around Murray Bridge.
Peri Strathearn is the senior journalist at The Murray Valley Standard, a bi-weekly Fairfax newspaper based in Murray Bridge. Before his time at The Standard, he wrote for The Recorder at Port Pirie and has filled in at The Flinders News and The Naracoorte Herald.
Best Rural Journalist –Print – Nigel Austin (The Advertiser)
The Judging Panel felt all of Nigel Austin’s stories were extremely well written in a style that added colour and in-depth understanding for the reader.
He appeared to be particularly skilled at utilising the framework of existing stories and embellishing them with layer-upon-layer of added detail, background statistics and emotional colour.
All three of Nigel Austin’s pieces focused on a central character who represented the bigger issue.
His writing style presumed no prior knowledge and had broad appeal to a broad readership.
Nigel Austin has been a rural journalist for more than 30 years, including about 26 years for News Corporation.
As the elder statesman of rural journalism in this state, the high level of professionalism and industry insight exhibited throughout Nigel Austin’s portfolio of entries were of no surprise to the Judging Panel.
Best Rural Journalist – Radio – Danielle Grindlay (ABC Rural Radio)
Danielle Grindlay’s portfolio of radio stories was an absolute standout in this category. She submitted three strong pieces in a related theme of Drought Loan Assistance Packages and the enormous difficulties faced by primary producers in accessing them. This was a story line that few rural journalists would have had the strength to tackle – definitely a case of “into the too hard basket” for many.
Danielle was like “a dog with a bone”… tackling obstructive and somewhat incompetent government structures until she was on top of the issue. In fact, her series of stories contributed to producing successful outcomes for the primary producers she was reporting on. Danielle’s somewhat conversational and often intense interviewing style made her stories extremely engaging. Not only did Danielle present all sides of the issue, but her story actually moved the associated public debate forward.
Danielle Grindlay has been the South East based reporter with ABC Rural since 2014, occasionally filling in as presenter of the SA Country Hour, Victorian Country Hour, Breakfast programs and Mornings programs.
Currently she is backfilling as the rural reporter in western Victoria. The Judging Panel felt Danielle Grindlay’s career in rural journalism is certainly one to watch.
Best Rural Journalist – Television – Prue Adams (ABC Landline)
This year, Prue Adams’ portfolio of stories was head and shoulders ahead of any other entry.
The star in her portfolio was undoubtedly a Landline story on Q-Fever, an outstanding piece of journalism focused on an issue often ignored by many.
Prue did a remarkable job to find compelling case studies across Australia and overseas to illustrate the different elements of the story.
She came across as an excellent interviewer of people from across the spectrum, irrespective of whether they were farmers, children or Federal Ministers.
Apart from the Q Fever feature story, Prue’s other two pieces on Bioclip and Black Sheep genuinely stood out as superior journalism.
Prue Adams is a senior journalist working with ABC-TV’s national rural current affairs program, Landline.
She began her journalism career in Mt Gambier at SES Channel 8 in 1987 and after a stint working in the UK and USA, joined ABC-TV.
In 1995 Prue became South Australian correspondent for Landline.
Best Rural Journalist – On-line – Danielle Grindley (ABC Rural Radio)
Danielle Grindlay’s online portfolio was outstanding, utilising innovative audio techniques to capture natural sounds at a pace that really brought her stories to life with a genuine sense of placing the listener in the centre of the action.
In particular, the unusual use of subdued background noises in her “Shearing Without Sound” story captured the imagination. Danielle’s excellent conversational delivery, subtle scripting, excellent interview style and thorough questioning all combined to make the audio clear, clever and engaging. Online reporting offers rural journalists the opportunity to utilise all the senses available to the viewer, listener or reader. This opportunity was utilised to the full by Danielle, with clear audio, descriptive still photographs and easy to read text combined in each of her online stories. However Danielle’s success in online reporting wasn’t due principally to her good use of mixed mediums.
Behind all the stories was an ability to quickly identify an angle early in the piece and maintain a simple approach.
The structuring of her stories was also quite impressive, finishing well with punchy lines or bringing the piece full circle.
After completing a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) degree at RMIT University in Melbourne, Danielle spent time as a print journalist in regional Victoria, prior to landing her “dream job” with ABC Rural, based in Mount Gambier.
Rural Photography Awards – Judging Panel Comments
Best Rural/Regional Photojournalist – Alisha Fogden (Stock Journal)
Alisha grew up on a farm at Loxton in the Riverland, and studied Communications at the University of SA before landing her first print journalist position at the Murray Pioneer in Renmark in 2005.
After gaining experience she took over the management of the Border Times newspaper, also owned by the Taylor Group, which covers the southern Mallee region. In 2007 she moved back to Adelaide to work at the Stock Journal and in 2009 she won the SA Rural Media Telstra Rural Journalist of the Year award. She was later named runner up in the national ACAJ Star Prize for Rural Journalism.
In 2010 she moved to Melbourne to become deputy editor of Stock Journal’s Victorian sister paper, the Stock & Land and then took on the editor’s role. In early 2013 she was a Victorian finalist in the ACAJ Star Prize for Rural Photography.
By late 2014, home was beckoning, and Alisha returned to SA to take up the cropping editor role at Stock Journal.
Alisha’s entry of three photos in the best rural/regional photojournalist competition was technically very good and each told a story without words. They show emotion on the faces of their subjects and the background and contrast is good. Obviously Alisha had put thought into these photos rather than them being an afterthought to a higher priority journalism task.
Best Rural Photographer Awards – Production – Dean Martin (The Advertiser)
Dean is married to Julie-Anne (in his words - at least while she continues to put up with him). They have two children, a daughter Zali who is now seventeen and wants to be an obstetrician, and a son Fynn who is twelve and thinks you only go to school to learn how to play sport of one form or another. They live in wonderful Semaphore and don’t plan on going anywhere else any time soon.
Dean has been a photographer at the Advertiser for nearly 21 years and still gets excited when he gets an assignment ‘in the bush’. He grew up in the mid north and while he has spent the majority of his life living in Adelaide, the old adage about taking the boy out of the bush, certainly rings true. He loves getting out and chatting to the local characters wherever they are, and never tires of hearing their stories.
The judging panel thought Dean’s three photos in the Production section fit the category very well, telling the story of differing produce and production methods. They have good and consistent composition and use of side lighting. The strength of all three photos carried Deans’ entry over other entries in this section that had one or two standout photos.
Best Rural Photographer Awards – Nature/Landscape – Mark Brake (The Advertiser)
Mark Brake has been a press photographer at The Advertiser for 27 years. Born in the small country town of Beeac in Victoria, he is one of six children involved in the shearing industry, resulting in frequent trips out to his father’s various shearing runs. He studied photography at North Adelaide School of Art and then landed a cadetship with The Advertiser in 1988 as an 18 year old.
He has had many roles including pictorial editor, sports photographer, general news and political photographer, or anything a camera could be pointed at. He most enjoys the trips to the country regions to meet the residents and capture the stories from these South Australian rural outback communities. He was the SA Rural Media Photographer of the Year in 2003 and 2013.
The judges felt Mark’s two photos in the Nature/Landscape section were technically excellent in their clarity and very engaging for the viewer/reader. The ghostly and emotional fire image near Humbug Scrub clearly portrays the devastation of fires so recently brought to our attention again with the Pinery fire north of Adelaide. The timing and clarity of the sea lion image portrays fast action in a still image and captures one of those rare opportunities that present themselves when the photographer is ready to shoot.
Best Rural Photographer Awards – People – Matt Turner (The Advertiser)
Matt Turner started with News Ltd as a copy person in 1986 at the Adelaide News until its demise in 1992. He was then a freelance photographer, working extensively with the Stock Journal and the Australian newspaper. Matt moved to Sydney in 1999 and worked with Getty Images during the Olympic Games, then the Sydney Telegraph.
Matt returned to Adelaide in 2003 and has been a general photographer with The Advertiser for the last 12 years.
The judges felt Matt’s three images in the People section were technically brilliant, beautifully lit and highly creative compositions.
They were very moody and drew the viewer/reader into the highlighted person/people and subject matter. All three images were impacting in their own right and would have been a powerful adjunct to the story they supported.