Walkley Awards 2025 winners announced

By AdNews | 28 November 2025
 

Adele Ferguson and Chris Gillett won the 2025 Gold Walkley for journalism for a series of stories on 7.30, Four Corners and ABC online. 

The Walkley Judging Board unanimously selected the pair’s multi-month multi-platform investigation into the systemic failures in childcare as the story of the year. 

Ferguson and Gillett won three Walkley categories: TV/Video: Current Affairs Short, TV/Video: Current Affairs Long, and All Media: Investigative Journalism.

They were also finalists in the All Media: Coverage of a Major Event category and Scoop of the Year.

The 70th Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism were presented in 30 categories, announced last night in Sydney.

Christopher Hopkins was named the Nikon-Walkley Press Photographer of the Year for his portfolio of work published in Al Jazeera, The Age and The Guardian.  

“In this landmark 70th year of the Walkley awards, the high calibre of the finalists' and winners' entries is a testament to the fact that Australian journalism is at its best, as good as anywhere in the world,” said the chair of the Walkley Judging Board, Sally Neighbour.

“At a time of immense disruption for the news media, it is heartening that the commitment to journalistic independence, excellence and integrity remains as strong as ever."

 

The winners

PRINT/TEXT NEWS REPORT
Walkley Foundation partner MinterEllison    
Eryk Bagshaw, Bianca Hrovat, Clare SibthorpeThe Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Good Food, 'The sinister side of the glitzy hospitality scene' 1,2,3
 
FEATURE WRITING SHORT (UNDER 4000 WORDS)
Award Partner The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
Melissa FyfeGood Weekend Magazine, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, 'Wedlocked'
 
FEATURE WRITING LONG (OVER 4000 WORDS)
Primrose RiordanLisa MurrayThe Australian Financial Review, 'The Power of One: Inside Forrest's Fortescue'
 
ALL MEDIA: COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS, OPINION AND CRITIQUE
Award Partner Thomson Geer Lawyers
The Media Watch Team, ABC, Media Watch, 'Nine's beach house porkies, ABC radio chairbound, Conflict Class' 1,2,3
 
ALL MEDIA: EXPLANATORY JOURNALISM
Lucy KingJoshua PeachFiona BuffiniBryan Cook, The Australian Financial Review, 'Inside Australia's $11b charity stockpile
 
ALL MEDIA: COVERAGE OF INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS
Award Partner National Indigenous Times
Guardian Australia's Indigenous Affairs TeamGuardian Australia, 'The Descendants' 1,2,3
 
ALL MEDIA: COVERAGE OF COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
Award Partner BHP
Joanna WoodburnHannah MeagherFred Shaw, Shaun Kingma, ABC, 7.30, ABC News, 'Whistleblower doctors expose cancer surgery' 1,2,3
 
ALL MEDIA: SPORTS JOURNALISM         
Award Partner University of Queensland
Jessica HalloranStephen RiceThe Australian, 'Predator in the Vault' 1,2,3
 
SPORT PHOTOGRAPHY
David Gray, Agence France-Presse, 'Sporting Moments'

ALL MEDIA: CARTOON OF THE YEAR
Walkley Foundation partner Banki Haddock Fiora
David PopeThe Canberra Times, 'Gaza'

AUDIO SHORT (UNDER 20 MINUTES)
Award Partner ABC
Lucy Barbour, ABC, 'AM' program, 'Australia's 'unspoken' abortion ban' 1,2

AUDIO LONG (OVER 20 MINUTES)
Anne Connolly and the Background Briefing team, ABC, Background Briefing, 'The Invisible Killer' 1,2,3
 
DIGITAL MEDIA: INNOVATION JOURNALISM
Award Partner Master Builders Australia
Badiucao, Matthew Absalom-Wong, Patrick O'Neil, Tom McKendrickThe Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, 'Watched, followed, threatened. Now an impostor is claiming to be me'
 
ALL MEDIA: SCOOP OF THE YEAR
Award Partner The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
Robyn RileyHerald Sun, 'Mum gives birth to the wrong baby'
 
ALL MEDIA: COVERAGE OF A MAJOR NEWS EVENT OR ISSUE
The Age Mushroom Trial team, The Age, 'The mushroom case: A family meal and a courtroom drama' 1,2,3,4,5,6
 
NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY
Martin Keep, Agence France-Presse, 'Erin Patterson'
 
ALL MEDIA: SPECIALIST AND BEAT REPORTING
Kate AubussonAisha DowEmily KaineThe AgeThe Sydney Morning Herald, 'Medical Misogyny Investigation' 1,2,3
 
ALL MEDIA: BUSINESS JOURNALISM
Award Partner ING Australia
Neil ChenowethMark Di StefanoThe Australian Financial Review, 'The downfall of MinRes and Chris Ellison' 1,2,3
 
FEATURE/PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY
Julian Kingma, New South Publishing, 'The Power of Choice'
 
TELEVISION/VIDEO: CAMERAWORK       
Tim Noonan, Freelance, SBS, 'Hunt for Truth: Tasmanian Tiger’
 
TELEVISION/VIDEO: NEWS REPORTING
Award Partner Seven News
Andrew Probyn, Nine, Nine News, 'Russian Gangsters and the Medibank Hack' 1,2
 
TELEVISION/VIDEO: CURRENT AFFAIRS SHORT (UNDER 20 MINUTES)
Award Partner SBS
Adele Ferguson, Chris Gillett, ABC, 7.30, 'The Slap, Childcare Exposed'
 
TELEVISION/VIDEO: CURRENT AFFAIRS LONG (OVER 20 MINUTES)     
Award Partner The Pharmacy Guild of Australia
Adele FergusonChris GillettBen ButlerLara Sonnenschein, ABC, Four Corners, 'Betrayal of Trust'
 
ALL MEDIA: INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISM
Mark WillacyJonathan MillerRyan Sheridan - with Tetiana Prytulenko (Ukraine), ABC, Four Corners, 'Endurance'
 
ALL MEDIA: INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
Award Partner Guardian Australia
Adele FergusonChris GillettBen ButlerLara Sonnenschein, ABC, Four Corners, 7.30, 'Betrayal of Trust, Australia's childcare crisis' 1,2,3
 
WALKLEY DOCUMENTARY AWARD
Yaara Bou Melhem, Maitland Parker, Tom Bannigan & teamYurlu | Country, Illuminate Films
 
WALKLEY BOOK AWARD 
Award Partner Bookoccino
Rick MortonMean Streak, HarperCollins Publishers
 
NIKON-WALKLEY PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 
Award Partner Nikon 
Christopher Hopkins, Freelance, Al JazeeraThe AgeThe Guardian, '2024/25 Folio'
 
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO JOURNALISM
Award Partner Media Super 
Peter Manning 
 
2025 GOLD WALKLEY
Award Partner MEAA
Adele Ferguson and Chris Gillett, ABC, Four Corners7.30ABC News online, ‘Childcare Crisis’ portfolio

Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au

Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.

comments powered by Disqus