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Media Awards

The Australian Sports Commission Media Awards recognise excellence in sports journalism, broadcasting and production. They focus on analytical and insightful reporting and the presentation of sport and sporting issues, with the ultimate aim of fostering improved coverage of key issues within sport.

The media awards are the only dedicated sports media awards in Australia. There are multiple categories that enable different media to compete on relative merits.

See below for information on the individual categories or read about the 2024 ASC Media Awards winners here.

Key dates

Entries open: September 2025
Finalists announced: December 2025
Winners announced: February 2026

Contact:
ASCmediaawards@ausport.gov.au

Award categories

Rising star award

For the first time, the 2024 ASC Media Awards acknowledged a rising star in the industry for their contribution to sports media.

Open to people 30 years and under, or who have been in the industry for five years or fewer, this person was selected from the pool of finalists for their contribution to sports media.

Congratulations to our 2024 winner Ellie Cole.

Lifetime achievement award for sports journalism

This award is for exceptional service to sports journalism over an extended period. The award is given by the Australian Sports Commission Board and is presented to an individual who has made a lengthy, significant and influential contribution to the reporting of Australian sport.

The 2024 ASC Media Awards were held in Sydney on 19 February 2025 with one of sports greatest storytellers and a trailblazer for females in sport, Margie McDonald, announced as the latest recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Judging

A panel comprising representatives from the media, sport and the Australian Sports Commission will judge the entries.

With the exception of the Lifetime achievement award for contribution to sports journalism, a minimum four finalists will be selected in each category. The winners will be announced in February 2024, and published on the Australian Sports Commission website. The lifetime achievement award winner is chosen by the Australian Sports Commission board.

Judges will make their decisions based solely on the material provided by entrants. Entrants should not expect feedback from the judging panel about their entry.

Terms and conditions of entry are available on the ASC website. Each category has different requirements, as listed within each category description.

Many factors are taken into account, such as (in no specific order):

  • use of medium
  • news value
  • research
  • writing and/or editing
  • technical excellence
  • incisiveness
  • impact
  • public benefit
  • ethics
  • originality
  • creative flair.
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