Joanna Woodburn was born in Scotland, raised, on a farm near Forbes in NSW, went back to Scotland, then back to Australia to finally settle in the NSW country town of Orange where her work and distinctive vocal twang have made her a popular figure in the region. In the 2025 Kennedy Awards Joanna won the prize for the best Regional Broadcast story about failures at the Orange Hospital.

Chris Reason is one of our most well-known and respected reporters. The word ‘reporter’ and its role in journalism has been somewhat forgotten, but Reason’s work reminds us of how important it is in the craft of great journalism.

Daniel Clarke, the 2023 South Australian Journalist of the Year, can now add not one but two Kennedy Awards to his long list of well-earned accolades, especially as he now has the precarious joy of being a freelancer.

The Kennedy Foundation award for the Student Journalist of the Year underlines the Foundation’s commitment to supporting and encouraging young and aspiring journalists beginning what one would hope would be a long and rewarding career in Australian journalism.