Regional journalism shines at 2025 ACM Excellence Awards | The Canberra Times

Regional Australia’s most outstanding journalism has been celebrated at the 2025 ACM Awards for Excellence. Canberra Times Masthead of the year was chosen, Queensland Rural Life Winner of the best agricultural publication award in its 90th year and Goulburn Post Winning the title of best community.
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The annual awards recognize the best news and sports coverage, commentary and commercial content produced by the websites and newspapers of the ACM network, Australia’s largest independent regional news broadcaster.
Journalist Tim Piccione Canberra Times He was awarded the Gold ACME award for Journalist of the Year, the highest individual honour, for his work throughout 2025, including an investigation into policing in the ACT.
Crime reporter Anna Falkenmire Newcastle Herald Young Journalist of the Year and Emily Clooney were selected. Lawyer Named Northwest Tasmania’s Sports Journalist of the Year.
ACM editor-in-chief Rod Quinn congratulated this year’s winners.
“In these days of robots and fraud, our journalists are putting themselves in places our readers cannot go,” he said.

“They witness the triumphs, the tragedies, the joys and the pain, and they convey those moments to our viewers. Our societies are better for it.”
“What our journalists do is not optional in a democracy. And it matters now more than ever.”
The awards, presented in Sydney on Tuesday 9 December, are now in their fifth year.
The night’s grand awards were presented by ACM board member and Thorney Investment Group chief operating officer Peter Landos, who represented owners Alex Waislitz and Antony Catalano.
Judges said Mr Piccione’s ‘quiet persistence’ helped Canberra Times sets the daily news agenda in the national capital.
Ms. Falkenmire’s criminal scope Newcastle HeraldIt was praised for its “compassionate, human-centered storytelling that gives voice to victims of crime.”

Managing editor John-Paul Moloney won Regional Masthead of the Year, Canberra TimesIt also won Campaign of the Year for Transurban’s special series harassing unsuspecting ACT motorists about toll errors in Sydney.
Queensland Rural LifeIt has been named Best Agriculture Masthead of 2025, one of ACM’s weekly specialist titles serving Australia’s important rural and agricultural sector.

Celebrating the 90th anniversary of its publication this year, Queensland Rural Life He was represented at the awards by former editor Lucy Kinbacher and deputy editor Sally Gall.
Editor: Sally Foy Goulburn Post He received the award for Best Community Imprint in the NSW Southern Tablelands and also won Comment of the Year for his own writing.

Dane Wilson from Dubbo Daily Liberal, She was named Intern of the Year, and Kim Chappell, who guides local news coverage online as regional digital editor, was named Coach/Mentor of the Year.
Border PostCovering the Albury/Wodonga region on the NSW-Victorian border, it became known for its sustained coverage of a hospital rally led by local mayors and health advocates, who traveled by train to the state parliament in Melbourne.

newsrooms Lawyer in northwestern Tasmania and Standard Staff in Warrnambool were also recognized for their efforts to serve their community and increase digital subscriptions this year.
Journalists Ben Silvester and Anna Houlahan have been praised for their outstanding travel writing and video coverage of the ACM network’s popular news stories. To discover website and print magazine on Saturday.
Complete list of 2024 ACM Awards for Excellence winners

Gold ACME Journalist of the Year
Young Journalist of the Year
Masthead of the Year – Regional
Masthead of the Year – Agricultural
Editor-in-Chief Award
Sports Journalist of the Year
Winner: Kim Chappell, Regional Digital Editor
Winning: Border Post Hospital Rally Goes to Parliament
Highly praised: Sophia Baker, Standard
Winning: Canberra Times Intercity Toll Errors Revealed
Highly praised: Alise McIntosh, Western Lawyer
To discover Travel Story of the Year
Highly praised: Anna Houlahan
Feature Story of the Year
Winner: Beau Greenway, Border Post
Highly praised: Sage Swinton, Newcastle Herald
Winner: Breanna Chillingworth Northern Daily Leader
It was highly praised: Lawyer
News Story of the Year – Regional
Winner: Gabriel Fowler, Newcastle Herald
Highly praised: Ciara Bastow, Daily Liberal
Highly praised: Samantha Townsend, Land
Winner: James Parker Bega County News
Highly praised: Tim Gray, Gulf Post
Story of the Year – Agricultural
Real Estate Story of the Year
Winner: Gwen Liu, Messenger
Highly praised: Jade Lazarevic, Newcastle Herald
Production/Presentation of the Year
Highly praised: Josh Hall
Digital Application of the Year
News Photo of the Year – Regional
Winner: Peter Lorimer, Newcastle Herald

Sports Photo of the Year – Regional
Winner: Anna Warr Illawarra Mercury
Photo of the Year – Agricultural
Winner: Simon Chamberlain Land
Winner: Ben Smyth Bega County News
Winner: Bahar Angus 2025, ACM Agri
High praise: 70th Anniversary of the Maitland Flood, Maitland Mercury
Commercial Feature of the Year
Regionals and Ensembles winner: Big Steps, Small Feet, Messenger
Agricultural winner: The Official Guide to 50 Years of FarmFest
Winner: “Protect Your Skin” for Cancer Council
Popular: Tractor Games, Land























