News Awards: Notching up nominations after another stellar year

The Australian has recorded another stellar year in the shortlist for News Corp ­Australia’s annual journalism awards, scoring nine nominations across seven categories.

The Australian’s Sharri Markson has been nominated across three categories in the 2021 News Awards. Picture: Richard Dobson

The Australian and its journalists have received 10 finalist nominations across eight categories for News Corp ­Australia’s annual journalism awards.

Sharri Markson is nominated for three awards, with her groundbreaking investigation into the origins of Covid-19 – culminating in her book What Really Happened in Wuhan – earning her nods for Scoop of the Year and Achievements in Storytelling.

Markson, Claire Harvey and Jessica Halloran have been nominated in the Sports Journalism category for their in-depth coverage of a series of NRL scandals and cover-ups, after their work was recognised by the judges of this year’s Walkley Awards in October.

Will Swanton has also been nominated in the Sports Journalism category after another year of first-rate coverage across national sport.

Johannes Leak is one of four nominees in contention for the prestigious Bill Leak Cartoonist of the Year for his scintillating take on plague, lockdown and politics in 2021. Bridget Carter and John Stensholt are two of three nominees in contention for the Keith McDonald Award for best business journalist of the year. And Liam Mendes has been nominated for Young Journalist of the Year for a series of scoops covering crime in NSW.

In the Innovation in Journalism category, The Australian has been nominated for its development of Commercial Real Estate, Locked Content Strategy.

Sky News presenter Peta Credlin, who writes a weekly column in The Australian, has been nominated for Achievements in Specialist Journalism.

News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller said the high standard of nominations was a testament to the quality of journalism produced throughout 2021.

“Our journalists have broken the biggest stories of 2021, our campaigns and advocacy have made a real difference and helped those in genuine need,” he said. The awards are to be held virtually on November 24.