Finalists announced for the 2021 Annual Walkley Awards
November 5, 2021
The 2021 finalists were revealed for the 66th Annual Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism, as well as the Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism on 21 October.
The Walkley Foundation received more than 1200 entries for this year’s awards from the country’s best journalists, photographers, producers, editors, commentators and designers.
The prestigious awards showcase the incredible talents across the media industry, with close to 30 special categories to recognise the best in their craft, from ‘Best Headline’, to ‘Scoop of the Year’ and many inbetween. The finalists were decided by a variety of over 70 industry peer judges selected by the Walkley Judging Board, and the winners of each award will be based on overall merit and journalistic excellence, for reporting on what has been yet another eventful year which encompassed the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Tokyo Olympic Games, and no shortage of protests and political scandals.
Chief executive of the Walkley Foundation Louisa Graham, said: “Our warm congratulations to this impressive array of finalists, who have set the standard for best-practice, ethical journalism in Australia in another disrupted year. This is work that makes a difference, that creates change, holds the powerful to account and holds a mirror up to our nation and its culture. It will be a longer wait than usual to announce our winners, but we want to have the best chance at celebrating together as an industry, so we are looking forward to gathering in Tamworth in February 2022.”
Administered by the Walkley Foundation on behalf of Nikon, the winners of the 2021 Nikon Photography Prize were also announced on 21 October, with Nikon Photo of the Year taken out by Kate Geraghty of the Sydney Morning Herald for Fighting Covid-19 Delta, a harrowing image of a COVID-19 patient in the bed of an Intensive Care Unit, hooked up to a breathing machine.
Winner: Kate Geraghty, The Sydney Morning Herald, “Fighting COVID-19 Delta”. Courtesy of the Walkley Foundation.
Brian Cassey, photographer for The Australian, was named winner of the Nikon Portrait Prize for The Yarrick Family of Kunhanhaa. A portrait of a mother and her five children in their loungeroom. View the incredible full list of finalists from the photography categories here.
The 2021 Walkley Award winners will be announced at a dinner gala event held in Tamworth in February next year. To see the list of finalists, visit the Walkley Foundation website here.