Optus Sport, 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

Optus Sport’s commitment to providing a platform to elevate women’s football was on show during the FIFA Women’s World Cup as they delivered unparalleled and unprecedented coverage across Australia and New Zealand. Led by an amazing and diverse line-up of on-screen talent that included over 700 international team caps for the Matildas, Socceroos, Football Ferns, a US Women’s World Cup winner and many more, their content across broadcast, digital, social, written and audio ensured fans could connect with the event anywhere and anytime.

Finalists

Seven Network, 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup

The FIFA Women’s World Cup captured the hearts and minds of the nation, with the Seven Network’s live and free coverage delivering the biggest viewing audiences across all screens since the OzTAM audience measurement system started in 2001. Seven’s broadcast of the World Cup in partnership with Optus Sport showcased the growing passion for women’s football. Almost 18.6 million Australians watched Seven’s coverage, including 14.76 million reached on broadcast and 3.82 million on 7plus.

Sydney Morning Herald/The Age, Australian Open 2023

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age captured the drama, colour and controversy of the 2023 Australian Open through smart reporting and visual storytelling. Their coverage included celebrating the silent stars of the Open - the ball kids and live blogs with news, expert analysis and video highlights. Other highlights included reconstructing the 26 seconds that stunned the tennis world during the Kokkinakis-Murray epic, an exclusive account of the meeting where Nick Kyrgios withdrew from the Open and an interview with Pam Shriver about her relationship with her older coach.

News Corp, 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup

News Corp delivered unprecedented print and digital coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup with Matildas mania resulting in new masthead names such as ‘The Kerr-ier Mail’, ‘Daily Tilly-graph’, ‘Herald Sam’ and ‘Adelaide Advertise-Kerr’. On top of five special edition liftouts in each metro masthead, daily double-page spreads and news stories, player posters and a Sam Kerr face mask, News Corp’s online team delivered daily live blogs, analysis, interactive player ratings for every Matildas game and exclusive columns with Robbie Slater and Amy Chapman.

SBS, 2022 FIFA World Cup (Men’s)

SBS assembled a diverse range of talent including Richard Bayliss, Niav Owens, Craig Foster, Mark Bosnich, John Aloisi, Kyah Simon and Sarah Walsh to deliver the 2022 FIFA World Cup from a purpose-built Sydney studio working alongside a nine-person crew in Doha who provided expert commentary and reporting. SBS achieved viewership records though its extensive analysis, insights and coverage while its digital first approach ensured audiences could access all FIFA World Cup content anywhere and anytime via the SBS On Demand app.

Bowls Australia

Bowls Australia is dedicated to promoting athletes with disability and sharing their inspirational stories. In addition to covering the Para-Jackaroos on their ‘The Right Line’ podcast, YouTube channel and website, Bowls Australia live-streamed and broadcast more than 43 hours of disability bowls across the Multi Nations, Australian Open, World Bowls Championships and The Nationals. This included the finals of each para discipline at the World Championships which saw Australia claim gold medals in the vision impaired mixed pairs and men’s para pairs.

Finalists

Matthew Carmichael, Seven Network

Matthew Carmichael is committed to covering para sport across Seven’s national and 6pm bulletins and sharing the personal stories of our inspirational Australian para-athletes. His coverage included Alexa Leary’s miracle comeback at the Para Swimming World Championships following a horrific bike crash two years ago, Jaryd Clifford’s gutsy silver medal in the 5000m at the Para Athletics World Championships, the Pararoos and Ben Tudhope’s para-snowboard cross world title.

Kieran Pender, The Guardian

Kieran Pender’s feature stories give readers an insight into the unique challenges and possibilities of different para sports. Pender’s profile of blind soccer player and goalballer Amir Abdi charts his incredible journey and introduces the reader to blind soccer and goalball. Similarly, his profile of blind surfer Matt Formston explains the intricacies of blind surfing and the discrimination too many people with disability still face with Formston telling Pender he finds it easier to surf some of the biggest waves in the world than go to his local shopping centre.

That Pacific Sports Show, ABC Pacific ‘Oceania Para Badminton Championships’

Through storytelling and discussion, That Pacific Sports Show hosted by Tiana Penitani and Sam Wykes highlights the amazing achievements and stories of Pacific athletes. The show’s coverage of the Oceania Para Badminton Championships in Western Australia profiled Fiji’s Selina Seau, a lower leg amputee who is also deaf and Danny Ten a leg amputee from Papua New Guinea. Both players spoke of the joy they get from playing sport and how it has changed their lives.

Danielle Laidley: Two Tribes, JamTV / Stan

Danielle Laidley: Two Tribes is a revolutionary documentary that explores former AFL star Danielle Laidley's extraordinary life. Laidley is widely recognised for her highly successful AFL career playing an impressive 151 games for the West Coast Eagles and North Melbourne. However, she faced a private and lifelong battle with gender dysphoria, her life taking a downward turn in 2020 when she faced legal troubles and addiction issues. Two Tribes helps further the conversation around mental health, addiction and the LGBTQIA+ community in Australian sport.

Finalists

Matildas: The World at Our Feet, Barking Mad Productions / Disney+

Matildas: The World at Our Feet is an intimate, inspirational and raw portrayal of Australia’s national football team in the lead-up to the FIFA Women's World Cup. Sharing deeply personal moments such as childhood dreams, family support, same-sex relationships, IVF, motherhood and long-distance romance, the series highlights the remarkable journey of passion and determination that has earned the Matildas a special place in the hearts of fans in Australia and worldwide.

Sport Sunday presents Genevieve Gregson, Nine

Genevieve Gregson aims for her fourth Olympic Games and a transition from the track to the road to compete in the marathon following her heartbreak in Tokyo where she ruptured her Achillies tendon at the final water hurdle in the 3000m steeplechase final. The in-depth feature spends the day at home with Gregson and her husband Ryan as they plan out the next 12 months in their pursuit to be selected to represent Australia again in Paris.

Dawn of the Dolphins, Onion TV / Stan

The fly-on-the-wall camera crew track the year-long preparations for the Dolphins after being confirmed as the NRL’s 17^th team. Led by supercoach Wayne Bennett, CEO Terry Reader and talent spotter Peter O’Sullivan, the series is an exclusive backstage pass to a real-life portrayal of a start-up sports organisation, of livelihoods that will hang off the numbers on the scoreboard, of a talent-rich region hungry for its own flagship NRL club, and the building of a business from the ground up.

Allan Border: My Story, Fox Sports

This three-part docuseries covers the life and career of Australian cricket captain Allan Border and the influential role he played in the evolution of Australian cricket, from World Series to epic tests and the ongoing battle for the Ashes. Told first-hand by Allan Border, Kim Hughes, Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor, Ian Botham, Brian Lara and Demond Haynes with contributions from Robert Craddock, it is the Foxtel Group’s highest rating documentary series ever.

The Howie Games, Mark Howard / Listnr

With over 12 million downloads in 12 months, The Howie Games is more than just a sports podcast - it's a gateway to the hearts and minds of sporting legends. Mark ‘Howie’ Howard’s dedication to understanding the journey of sportspeople at the pinnacle of their fields unravels captivating stories of success, mental fortitude, resilience and leadership. From conversations with British Open Champion Cam Smith to English cricket star Stuart Broad and Owen Wright's emotional comeback from a near-death experience to return to competitive surfing, the podcast canvasses a wide array of stories with a new guest every fortnight boasting names such as Danielle Laidley, Peter Bol, Lauren Jackon and Dick Johnson.

Highly Commended

The Final Word Cricket Podcast, Geoff Lemon and Adam Collins

The Final Word is an Australian show with a global view with Adam Collins and Geoff Lemon covering every Australian Test match since 2013. The show’s flagship weekly program tackles issues including racism and hyper nationalism, the plight of Afghanistan, cricket’s relationship with climate change, and the grim international influence of big money while the weekend show Story Time unearths wild tales from cricket history all the way back to the 1700s. Long-form interviews offer complex conversations with significant cricketing minds including Stephen Fry, Kumar Sangakkara, Enid Bakewell and Cheteshwar Pujara.

Finalists

ABC Sport Daily, Patrick Stack / ABC Sport

ABC Sport Daily is Australia’s daily sports conversation. Each episode delivers one in-depth story plus the day’s headlines in under fifteen minutes ensuring Australian sports fans are across the stories that matter with more than 300,000 downloads each month. Exclusive interviews with Hamish McLennan, Nina Kennedy, Oscar Piastri and Donnell Wallam generated agenda-leading coverage while conversations with journalists from home and abroad mean audiences are always engaged with a breadth and depth of content.

AFL Daily, AFL Digital

AFL Daily is a daily podcast that runs for 52 weeks of the year setting the agenda and keeping fans informed with thought-provoking discussions and strong opinions from hosts Damian Barrett, Nat Edwards, Sarah Olle and Josh Gabelich. Each weekday episode drops at 7:30am to give listeners their daily dose of footy news on their commute to work or morning walk. Outside of the AFL season there is still plenty to discuss, from AFLW to trade, draft and pre-season updates and interviews, AFL Daily has footy fans covered.

Scott Gullan, Herald Sun ‘Peter Bol drugs scandal’

Scott Gullan broke one of the biggest stories in Australian sport in 2023 – the failed drug test by Olympian Peter Bol. The revelation sent shockwaves through the sport with the 800m champion who placed fourth in Tokyo and his US-based lawyer speaking exclusively to Gullan where Bol pleaded his innocence. News Corp were also first to report the results of Bol’s B-sample which came back inconclusive allowing him to return to racing, as Gullan revealed Bol’s strained relationship with Athletics Australia in the leadup to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August.

David Mark, ABC News ‘The investigation into paedophile rock climbing coach, Stephen Mitchell’

David Mark’s investigative reporting revealed the full horror of rock climbing coach Stephen Mitchell’s systemic abuse of six children over 14 years in Canberra and raised questions about how a serial paedophile was able to prey on his victims despite repeated warnings. After receiving a phone call from a victim three years ago, Mark’s reporting helped to identify another five children who had been abused and added to the police case against Mitchell who eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Finalists

Tom Decent, Sydney Morning Herald ‘The secret Zoom interview that ended a Wallabies coach’

Tom Decent uncovered the biggest story of the Wallabies Rugby World Cup campaign, bringing into question the commitment of head coach Eddie Jones following his secret meeting with Japanese rugby officials in the lead up to the tournament. Despite backlash for alleged negativity from fans and a stern "don’t ever contact me again" message from Jones, Decent continued to produce investigative pieces and stood firm, unveiling a story that rocked Australian rugby and was followed by Jones’ eventual resignation and unveiling as Japan’s new head coach.

Jake Niall, The Age ‘The fallout from the Hawthorn racism scandal’

Allegations that First Nations players had been mistreated by senior officials at Hawthorn during their premiership era were first published by the ABC in September 2022 but the fallout continued. Jake Niall's coverage of this difficult story, which involved cultural sensitivities and vulnerable people on both sides of the allegations, featured several exclusives including that Cyril Rioli would make a submission to the AFL's investigation and that Alastair Clarkson would take extended leave from his job for mental health reasons.

7News Spotlight ‘Head knocks in sport'

The 7 News Spotlight team has been on a mission to highlight the dangers of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) after sharing rugby league legend Mario Fenech’s health battle following his stellar but brutal career. The selflessness of the Fenech families in sharing their tragic story opened a national conversation on an illness that extends across many professional sports. Spotlight has continued its coverage on the subject with follow up stories on AFL veteran John Platten, fellow NRL veteran Robbie O’Davis and updates on Fenech.

Football Australia, Matildas’ World Cup campaign

The Matildas’ Digital Content Team rose to the occasion of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup being played on home soil. The purpose-built World Cup 2023 Hub left no stone unturned, providing detailed match coverage, analysis and player interviews alongside profiles and personality pieces from the inner sanctum. During their run to a best-ever world cup finish, the Matildas became the second-most followed sporting team in Australia on social media and gained the most new followers of any competing nation.

Finalists

Baseball Australia, World Baseball Classic

Team Australia Baseball Media shone a bright spotlight on Australia’s historic run to the quarter-finals of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in Tokyo, using their multimedia skills to bring awareness of the sport in this country to new heights. Daily feature stories and videos provided in-depth coverage of the event and its athletes, while press releases, photos and other high-quality digital content saw millions engage with the WBC through traditional and social media.

Netball Australia, Diamonds’ World Cup campaign

The raw emotion, dedication and unity of the Australian Diamonds journey from their 2019 Liverpool heartbreak to the Netball World Cup 2023 title in Cape Town was brought to life in the ‘Unfinished Business’ campaign from the Netball Australia media team. Multi-platform assets, from static creative to powerful imagery, written feature stories and behind the scenes videos, were amplified across a mix of web, socials and direct mail and put millions of Australian in the thick of the action.

Parramatta Eels, 2023 NRL and NRLW seasons

Player-facing, football-centric creative content and fan and community storytelling was at the heart of the Parramatta Eels’ PARRAdise: The Rising West coverage of the 2023 NRL and NRLW seasons. Content, including a player-hosted podcast that remained true to the Eels’ brand attributes - progressive, cool, determined, big, urban, tough and aspirational – was rewarded with massive growth in social media engagement despite a tough season for both sides.

ABC News Tasmania ‘Stacking the Odds: Inside a Tasmanian harness racing juggernaut’

Allegations of team driving, race fixing and animal welfare concerns against the nation’s leading harness trainer, Ben Yole, were uncovered in this months' long collaborative investigation piece by the ABC’s Launceston and Hobart newsrooms, and regional investigations team based in Victoria. The carefully crafted story presented compelling evidence and first-hand accounts of former employees of Mr Yole and dominated the Tasmanian news cycle before triggering a government-instigated independent investigation into the harness racing industry.

Finalists

Nic Darveniza, Townsville Bulletin ‘The sickness infecting Townsville junior rugby league’

Townsville's junior rugby league scene is one of the sport's most vibrant development patches, but something is deeply wrong. North Queensland's flagship U18 team has not won a state championship for six years. In a two-part special investigation, the Bulletin interviewed the team's coach, legendary local Steve Lansley, to discover why and uncovered an unbalanced club and school system that had seen "super teams" emerge to deny Townsville athletes opportunities for actual competition.

Briana Fiore and Anthony Pancia, ABC Regional Western Australia ‘The Fights of our Lives: a boxing story’

Four months in the making, this piece brings together the stories of individuals impacted by the issues of suicide, addiction, and mental health in regional Western Australia who have found hope and connection in a warehouse boxing gym in Albany. Not only highlighting the importance of regional sporting clubs, the innovative multimedia feature gives voice to residents of a town suffering from the closure of a mental health service and perpetrator-focused domestic violence help group.

Daniel Miles and Richard Crabtree, ABC South West Victoria ‘Stephen Giles, Victoria’s oldest active footballer’

The ongoing and inevitable struggle of regional Australian Rules football clubs to field a side, particularly in lower grades such as the reserves, is brought to life in this profile of Victoria’s oldest active footballer, Stephen Giles. At 65 years of age, Giles embarks on a 400-kilometer round trip every weekend to take to the field with the Caramut Swans, a club he first played for in 1966.

Greg Baum, The Age ‘But wait, there’s Moore: why the Collingwood captain is not a conventional footballer’

Darcy Moore is a fascinating profile subject because of his position as captain of Australia's biggest sporting club, Collingwood, and his influence in transforming its culture. The piece traces Moore's role in leading the Magpies' reconciliation with Indigenous players, the story behind his famous Anzac Day speech, and the influence of his father, former Brownlow medalist Peter Moore. Moore’s life away from the football field is also explored, capturing the qualities that make him a champion player for an audience that transcended football.

Highly Commended

Samantha Lewis, ABC Sport ‘Meet Angela Iannotta, Australia's forgotten World Cup pioneer’

The untold story of former Matildas player Angela Iannotta, the scorer of Australia's first ever goal in a World Cup back in 1995. Her story is one of triumph and heartbreak, weaving themes of history and memory together in a long-form profile that contextualises her life and career. The detailed narrative questions who owns history, the role the past plays in understanding the present, and details how unsung women have shaped Australian and world sport.

Finalists

Konrad Marshall, Good Weekend ‘Being Ben Simmons’

A global exclusive, this deeply researched and carefully considered longform story examines what life is like for Ben Simmons, one of the most talented yet maligned athletes on earth. With mental health a critical issue in sport, the story of Simmons serves as both a cautionary tale and a litmus test. The piece is accordingly written with colour yet sensitivity, neither condemning nor commending the man, and leaving the ultimate choice about what to feel for Simmons exactly where it belongs: in the hands of the reader.

Adam Burnett, Cricket Australia ‘And so we pray: Fawad Ahmed’s hardest winter’

The contrasting themes of life and death, hope and fear – both in and out of the sporting arena – are zeroed in on in this sensitive and comprehensively written feature on cricketer Fawad Ahmed. Ten years on since he gained Australian citizenship, Fawad’s hopes of securing a cricket contract flow with those for his unwell infant son are framed by and committedly captured across a period when cricket is far from the minds of most – the harsh Melbourne winter.

Konrad Marshall, Good Weekend ‘Life changes tomorrow’ and ‘I’m just being me’

Two exceptional profiles that strike at the heart of issues still by experienced by members of the LGBTIQ+ community and the misguided notion that these issues are concerns of the past. The gripping profile on Isaac Humphries - the only out gay male professional basketball player in the world - emphatically answers the flippant question that emerges whenever an athlete comes out as gay - who cares? – through rigorous research and in-depth interviews. The story of Danielle Laidley isn’t about her past life as an AFL player and coach, nor even how she was rudely thrown into the limelight against her will, but rather what she’s done now that everyone sees her for who she is. It’s a story about the way the football world has embraced her, included her, and longs to hold her up as an example and exemplar.

Finalists

Insight Sport, News Corp ‘Pride issue’

The second issue of News Corp's national women's sport liftout, Insight Sport, was dedicated to gay athletes who wrestled with their sexuality and the impact outing themselves would have on their careers.  
Featuring some of Australian sports biggest names CODE Insight revealed unique stories of pain, trauma and inspiration and tackled one of sport’s most sensitive topics in a safe environment.

Jam TV / Stan ‘Danielle Laidley: Two Tribes’

Andrew Wu, The Age ‘Being Asian in Australian sport’

Exploring the largely ignored issue of the lack of Chinese and Asian involvement in the AFL, Andrew Wu’s considered reporting details and analyses the barriers faced by current and former male and female players, and administrators. Citing racism and cultural differences, the stories of those interviewed serve as a modern-day reminder why the V/AFL has been drastically under-represented in their communities. In a separate first-person account, Andrew exposes the racism he has encountered online while simply doing his job.

Gerard Whateley, SEN / Fox Footy

Finalists

Mark Howard, Fox Sports / Triple M

Whether he’s leading Fox Sports cricket and AFL coverage or behind the microphone for Triple M or his famed podcast, The Howie Games, Mark ‘Howie’ Howard calls comfortably alongside respected experts and star players.  He takes audiences deeper into games with his unique, relaxed style that bucks the traditional norm of perfect and polished commentary. In the last 12 months, he has also broadcast the T20 World Cup for the ICC and anchored coverage for the IPL.

Mel McLaughlin, Seven Network

Mel McLaughlin was central to the most watched event in Australian television history – the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. McLaughlin’s love and passion for the sport shone through as she told the story of the emotion of the tournament while shaping the broadcasts to provide insights of the game to both the casual and devoted fan. She co-hosted the broadcast of the competition draw, daily highlights show and conducted countless interviews which provided the backbone to 7 News’ coverage and digital production.

Corbin Middlemas, ABC Sport

Corbin Middlemas had an exceptional 12 months in broadcasting, commentating an ICC Cricket World Cup final, Australia’s Test tour of India and the AFL Grand Final.  
He combines deep knowledge with detailed research and a natural news sense and has an innate ability to frame historical context around an event as it is happening. Middlemas leads the ABC’s AFL coverage in Melbourne, features on the network’s international cricket coverage and is a regular panelist and host of the ABC’s flagship sports television program, Offsiders.

Tom Decent, Sydney Morning Herald

Tom Decent uncovered the biggest story of the Wallabies Rugby World Cup Campaign, bringing into question the commitment of head coach Eddie Jones following his alleged secret meeting with Japanese rugby officials in the lead up to the tournament. Despite backlash for alleged negativity from fans and a stern "don’t ever contact me again" message from Jones, Decent continued to produce investigative pieces and stood firm, unveiling a story that rocked Australian rugby and was followed by Jones’ eventual resignation and unveiling as Japan’s new head coach.

Highly Commended

Linda Pearce, CODE Sports

Samantha Lewis, ABC Sport

Julian Linden, News Corp

Julian Linden’s year-long investigation exposed governance challenges faced by Swimming Australia that almost led to expulsion from the sport's governing body. Linden's exclusives played a part in transformative reforms being made and swimmers being given a say in the decision-making process. Additionally, his work shed light on the perils of social media on athlete mental health and explores the multifaceted issues associated with supplements. Through comprehensive reporting, Linden delves into the often-neglected realms of sports governance, providing valuable insights.

The recipient for 2022 was award-winning journalist and ABC presenter Tracey Holmes.

Holmes has worked in journalism and communications for more than 30 years having started her career at the national broadcaster in 1989, hosting Grandstand before going on to host radio and television programs around the world. She has covered 14 Olympic Games and is regarded as one of the most influential sports broadcasters in Australia.

Watch her acceptance speech from the night:

• Read more: Tracey Holmes receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Previous recipients