South Australian rural journalists world standard (Sept 2013)

South Australian based rural journalists and photographers took out a number of the top Star Prize awards at this year’s International Federation of Agricultural Journalists' Conference.

Presented in Argentina on Wednesday September 4, Star Prizes are the most significant awards in agricultural journalism and this year’s result shows that Australian rural journalists can match it with the best in the world.

The award ceremony was a highlight of the final day of the Congress in Rosario, in the Argentine agricultural heartland.

Tait Schmaal from the Adelaide Advertiser submitted the winning photographic entry in the Production category, an airborne sheep leaping to freedom.

South Australian Country Hour reporter, Nikolai Beilharz won the radio award for a report on scientists studying wild rice growing in north Queensland.

In the Yara Award for Sustainable Agriculture Reporting, Adelaide based reporter for ABC Landline, Prue Adams was placed second with an entry titled Soil Secrets, behind a team from the United States.

All the entries in the Star Prizes were judged at a state level, then a national level, before going on to be judged internationally.

Australian rural journalists on top of the world

Australian rural journalists and photographers are on top of the world after dominating awards for excellence at an international conference in Argentina on Wednesday, September 4.

Australian journalists took a clean sweep of all the broadcast awards at this year’s International Federation of Agricultural Journalist’s Star Prizes.

On top of that an Australian photographer also took out the top prize in the photography category beating entries from all over the world.

Finalists nominated by the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ) won six of nine awards plus a second and third placing at the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists 2013 World Congress.

ACAJ President Tim Powell said it was an extraordinary and outstanding result for Australia.

“It is the best result Australia has ever achieved in the prestigious Star Prize Awards,” Mr Powell said

“The Star Prizes are the most significant awards in the agricultural journalism and to have our journalists named the best in their field in the world is an amazing achievement.

“What this shows is that Australian rural journalists are matching it with the best in the world.”

The award ceremony was a highlight of the final day of the Congress in Rosario, in the Argentine agricultural heartland.

Journalists from the ABC made a clean sweep of the three broadcast award categories – television, radio and on line -- while Australians won two of the three photography categories and the overall best photo award.

Geelong Advertiser photographer Peter Ristevski won judges accolades won the top photography prize for his striking image which was the unanimous choice from more than 70 entries from around the world.

The photo of a horse trapped in mud with its distressed young owner cradling its head had a happy ending when the exhausted animal was safely rescued. Peter’s image was judged the best in the People category before taking the major prize.

Tait Schmaal from the Adelaide Advertiser submitted the winning entry in the Production category, an airborne sheep.

“The picture of the officer and the leaping sheep is a cracker that did what all great photo journalist like Tait can do. They capture the moment and tell the story with a single frame. No one seeing the photo would have been in any doubt that the story was about sheep theft. It even has a touch of the spirit of Banjo Patterson’s ‘waltzing matilda’ in it,” said Rural Media SA President Ian Doyle.

“Tait is one of this country’s very best image makers and photo story tellers,” Ian Doyle said.

ABC TV Landline journalist Sean Murphy was a winner with an outstanding television presentation on long running legal action over genetically modified cropping in Western Australia, an issue which has set neighbour against neighbour.

Country Hour reporter Nikolai Beilharz won the radio award for a report on scientists studying wild rice growing in north Queensland.

Lucy Barbour and Larissa Romensky won the best on-line category for a multi-media human interest report on the impact of wild dog predation.

In the Yara Award for Sustainable Agriculture Reporting, ABC Landline’s Prue Adams was placed second with an entry titled Soil Secrets behind a team from the United States.

Melbourne-based freelance Journalist Nathan Dyer was third in the Star Prize Award for Print Journalism for a feature on the Ord River region published in RM Williams Outback Magazine.

All the entries in the Star Prizes were judged at a state level, then a national level, before going on to be judged internationally.

The Kubota Australian Star Prize for Rural Writing, the Rabobank Australian Star Prize for Rural Writing and Australian Star Prize for Rural Photography were announced earlier this year at events around Australia.

The winning broadcast entries can be viewed at the links below:

Sean Murphy, "Freedom of Choice"

Nikolai Beilharz "Australia's wild rice may help feed the world".

Online: Lucy Barbour and Larissa Romensky, "Trappin' bitches like a lady"