THE KENNEDY FOUNDATION IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE FINALISTS IN THE 2026 KENNEDY AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM.
Our finalists were selected after an exhaustive judging process involving 110 of the nation’s most experienced media professionals across 35 categories of journalistic excellence.
Kennedy Foundation Chairperson Carl Dumbrell said: “It’s been another extraordinary year, with more than 900 entries of exceptional quality. This is clear evidence that not only is a Kennedy Award held in the highest esteem, but that, despite the manifest obstacles, the finest traditions of Australian journalism remain alive and thriving.”
The standard of work submitted was so high that judges found it an incredibly difficult task to determine finalists—let alone the ultimate winners.
Both the entries and winners of the 2026 Kennedy Scholarships showed the same level of excellence. Supported by Foundation Partner, NRMA and our media partners 7NEWS and 9News, the scholarships will provide two successful applicants with twelve weeks of paid intensive newsroom experience.
"The calibre of the Kennedy Foundation scholarship finalists this year 6as exceptional. Every candidate showcased immense talent and innovative thinking, and our finalists were all particularly impressive.” – Stefan Mitchell - Head of Video Content 9News
While 7NEWSChief Network Anchor Michael Usher said: "We are so firmly supportive of this scholarship program. It's a very substantial step to making sure journalism and particularly broadcast journalism thrives in the future. This was an incredibly hard selection process because the calibre of the candidates was simply excellent and we have no doubt they're going to do great things in their careers.”
All the winners of both scholarships and our awards for outstanding journalism will be announced and celebrated at the Kennedy Foundation’s 2026 Awards Presentation Dinner, which will be held on Friday, August 21, at the Royal Randwick Ballroom.
Congratulations to all the finalists.
2026 KENNEDY AWARDS FINALISTS
ALL MEDIA
Indigenous Affairs Reporting
ABC's NT Bureau and Indigenous Affairs Team Collaboration - Alice Springs seeks answers after a child's death - ABC 7 PM News and Web/App
Guardian Australia's Indigenous affairs reporting Team - The Descendants - theguardian.com
Karla Grant, Gary Cox, Gerard Phelan and Bianca Schneller - Living Black - Deaths in Custody - NITV (CH34), SBS One (CH30), SBS On Demand
Outstanding Cartoon
Matt Golding - Playing Trump -The Sydney Morning Herald
Megan Herbert - Limited Campaign - The Age
Cathy Wilcox - Middle East Mess - The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
Outstanding Consumer Affairs
Kate Aubusson, Aisha Dow, Charlotte Grieve and Emily Kaine - Medical Misogyny Investigation - The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
Aisha Dow, Nigel Gladstone, Lucy Macken and The Visual Stories Team - Bidding Blind - The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
Adele Ferguson, Chris Gillett and Jade Toomey - Australia's childcare crisis - Four Corners - ABC
Outstanding Court and Legal Affairs Reporting
Anne Connolly, Alex McDonald and Kristen Robb - Class Action Investigation- Four Corners and ABC Investigations
Charlotte Grieve - Public Interest Precedent: Al Muderis v Nine - The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald
Nina Funnell and Gavin Fernando - Keep Counselling Confidential - news.com.au
Outstanding Crime Reporting
Josh Hanrahan and Mark Morri - Bondi Terror Coverage - The Daily Telegraph; www.dailytelegraph.com.au
Foreign Correspondent, Pacific Local Journalism Network, ABC Investigations Team - Cartel Paradise: Investigating the Pacific's Drug Superhighway | Part 1 - ABC TV, online, iview, YouTube, ABC digital
Riley Walter - Cocaine ship allowed to offload $500m in drugs - The Sydney Morning Herald
Outstanding Finance Reporting
Angus Grigg, Christopher Knaus, the Four Corners and Guardian Australia Teams - The BHP Files - Four Corners - ABC
Four Corners Chasing Trump's Billions Team - Chasing Trump's Billions - Four Corners -ABC
Edmund Tadros and Hannah Wootton - KPMG audit leaks scandal - The Australian Financial Review
Outstanding Foreign Correspondent
Meghna Bali, Som Patidar and Haidarr Jones - Inside Taliban Afghanistan - ABC International, ABC TV, iview, YouTube, ABC Online
Foreign Correspondent Team - Gaza's Children of War - ABC TV, iview, YouTube, ABC Online
Vanessa March - News from America - News Corp Australia: The Daily Telegraph, The Courier-Mail and The Herald Sun
Outstanding Investigative Reporting
Sherryn Groch - Millionaire Nazis and secret compounds: The rise of the far-right in Australia - The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop and Kyle Taylor - Reawakening: Investigating the resurgence of ISIS and the Bondi attack - ABC News
Dylan Welch, Elise Potaka and Amy Greenbank - Brutal Force - Four Corners -ABC
Outstanding Digital News Breaking
The Daily Telegraph Team - Live digital coverage of Bondi terror attack - The Daily Telegraph
Bridget Rollason - ISIS Brides return to Australia - ABC News Online
Liam Phelan and Nick Ralston - SMH Newsroom Bondi terror coverage - The Sydney Morning Herald
Outstanding Political Reporting
Andrew Clennell - Parliament Expenses Scandal - News24
Kieran Gilbert - Major Political Interviews of 2026 - News24
James O'Doherty, James Willis and Madeleine Bower - Mark of Depravity - The Daily Telegraph
Outstanding Racing Coverage
Chris Barrett -Turf Wars- The Sydney Morning Herald
Adam Pengilly - The dynasty, the tragedy and the triumph of one spring - Idol Horse
Ray Thomas - James McDonald Interview - Racing and Sports
Outstanding Reporting on Human Rights, Social or Religious Affairs
Finalists to be confirmed next week
Outstanding Reporting on Climate and the Environment
Lisa Cox- Gwydir wetlands disaster - Guardian Australia
Angus Grigg, Christopher Knaus, the Four Corners and Guardian Australia Team - The BHP Files - ABC and Guardian Australia
Josh Robertson, Michael Slezak, Jack Fisher, Mark Doman and Angela Heathcote - The Big Leak - ABC News
Outstanding Sport Reporting
Peter Badel - Reece Walsh: Drugs and Title Dreams - The Courier-Mail
Chris Barrett - NRL's top ref had $400k gambling problem – The Sydney Morning Herald
Jessica Halloran, Amy Donaldson, Wendy Carlisle and Dylan Welch - Collision - Four Corners -ABC
Outstanding Three Headlines
Michael Ruffles – ‘Justice is served’, ‘Prince to Pariah’ and ‘The lying, the Ferrari wish and the $400,000 in the wardrobe’ - The Sydney Morning Herald
Michael Palmer – ‘Should they pay or will they go now’, ‘Oh FOGO's sake’ and ‘Let's get ready to thrombol’ - Seven West Media
Melanie Plane – ‘Cream and Punishment’, ‘Shalom's schlong saga: Why I had a ring on my ding-a-ling’ and ‘Purr-petrator: Bizarre kibble scheme cat-nipped in the bud’ - NT News
Scoop of the Year
Rachel Carbonell, Echo Hui, Ninah Kopel and Loretta Florance - ABC sunscreen stories - 7.30, Background Briefing and ABC Online
Amber Schultz - On flight MH140 - The Sydney Morning Herald
Cassie Zervos - Dezi Freeman found - 7 News
Regional Broadcast Reporting
Matt Cunningham - Kumanjayi Little Baby - News24
Eden Hynninen and Josie Taylor - Childcare giant Goodstart failed to report worker - ABC News (YouTube)
Risa Utama – “Profits before patients and wilful neglect”: the Calvary Mater Hospital scandal uncovered - NBN News
Student Journalist of the Year
Zoe Brock - Body of Work - RMIT University
Ava Cashmore - Body of Work - Monash University
Jessica O'Bryan - Body of Work - University of Technology Sydney
Young Journalist of The Year
James Dowling - Body of work - The Australian
Emily Kowal - Body of work- The Sydney Morning Herald
Risa Utama- “Profits before patients and wilful neglect”: the Calvary Mater Hospital scandal uncovered - NBN News
Outstanding Team Player or Mentor
Robert 'Crash' Craddock - Journalism's National Treasure - News Corp
Greg Jennett - A once-in-a-generation Journalist - ABC
Sarah Stinson - Director of Morning Television - Seven Network
PRINT/TEXT
Outstanding Columnist
Steve Jackson - Steve Jackson's Media Diary - The Australian
James O'Doherty - The Bear Pit and Beyond - The Daily Telegraph
John Silvester - Naked City - The Age
Outstanding Feature Writing
Michael Bachelard and Ruby Schwartz - Diagnosing Murder - Good Weekend -The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
Jane Cadzow - In The Box Seat - Good Weekend -The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
Cameron Stewart - The Road - Weekend Australian Magazine
Outstanding Travel Writing
Andrew Burke - Lessons from 10 months travelling in Iran - The Australian Financial Review
Fiona Carruthers - Ride of a Lifetime - The Australian
Anabel Dean - Hiking the Transcaucasian Trail - The Sydney Morning Herald
Outstanding Digital Innovation
Aisha Dow, Nigel Gladstone, Lucy Macken and The Visual Stories Team - Bidding Blind - The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
Bondi Attack Video Timeline Team - This is what 84 cameras reveal about the Bondi attack - ABC News
Matt Martino, Michael Workman and Lucy Carter - Foreign accounts spreading fake news - ABC Online
Regional Reporting Print and Digital
Ciara Bastow - The $3.6m collapse: insolvency, unpaid staff, and illegal phoenix activity - Daily Liberal
Daniel Miles and Andy Burns - Tyrendarra Football Club investigation - ABC News
Donna Page - Newcastle real estate boss charged with sex offences - Newcastle Herald
TELEVISION/VIDEO
Outstanding News Camera Coverage
Finalists to be confirmed next week
Outstanding Nightly Television Current Affairs Reporting
Michael Atkin, Lucy Kent and Rahni Sadler - Exposing the GIM Trading Fraud - 7.30 ABC and ABC News Online
Adele Ferguson and Chris Gillett - Australia's childcare crisis - 7.30 ABC
Sharri Markson - Bondi Terror Attack - News24
Outstanding Television Current Affairs Reporting - Long Form
Compass ABC Team - The Myth of the Nurses on the Beach - ABC TV and iView
Michael Usher, Gemma Williams, Phil Goyen and Ben Fogarty - Face to Face with My Children's Killer – Spotlight, Seven Network
60 Minutes Team - Virginia's Wish - 60 Minutes Nine Network
Outstanding Television News Reporting
Sharri Markson - Bondi Terror Attack - News24
News24 Team - Bondi Massacre - News24
Damian Ryan - Bondi Beach shooting - 9News Sydney
Outstanding Documentary
Bondi Light over Darkness Team - Bondi: Light over Darkness - Four Corners -ABC
Simon Nasht, Mariel Thomas and Akhim Dev - We Are Jeni – SBS
Alison Sandy, Marc Wright, Cassie Woodward, Jason Blanford and Katrina Blowers – Kiss &Kill – Seven Network and YouTube
AUDIO JOURNALISM
Outstanding Podcast
Andy Burns and Charlotte King - Hometown Boys - ABC Regional Investigations and Background Briefing
Julian Fell and Loretta Florance - The Favourite - ABC Background Briefing and Story Lab
Erin Parke, Piia Wirsu, Grant Wolter and Edwina Farley - Expanse: Nowhere Man - ABC
Outstanding Radio News and Current Affairs
Michael Atkin, Lucy Kent and Rahni Sadler - Exposing the GIM Trading Fraud - 7.30 ABC and ABC News Online
Mark Levy, Ben Fordham and Will Bottom - 2GB Breaking News: Terror at Bondi Beach - 2GB,3AW, 4BC,6PR - Tapt Media
Triple J Hack Team - How the Bondi terrorist attack has changed Australia - Triple J Hack- ABC
PHOTOGRAPHY
Outstanding News Photography
Banjo McLachlan - Documenting The Unthinkable: Coming face-to-face with the Bondi Beach terrorists - Daily Mail Australia - YouTube
Sam Mooy - BRS release - The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald
Edwina Pickles - Bondi Beach Terror Attack - The Sydney Morning Herald
Outstanding Portrait Photography
Yu Pang George Chan - Kangaroo Island's war on feral cats – Self Published
Steven Siewert - Richard Scolyer – The Sydney Morning Herald
Nic Walker - Body of Work - Culture: The Australian
Outstanding Sports Photography
David Grey - The Colourful World of Sport - AFP
Marina Neil - Surging Sergis Soars - Newcastle Herald
Darrian Traynor – Coco - Getty Images
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2026 KENNEDY SCHOLARSHIP FINALISTS
7News
Mia Cutugno - RMIT University
Samoda Silva - Adelaide University
Phoebe Thomai Valiotis - Monash University
9News
Molly Paynter - Monash University
Samoda Silva - Adelaide University
Olivia Tiralosi - Monash University
Media Enquiries: David Margan - 0407 637 181
Kennedy Foundation: Anna Magnus - 0423 363 725