13 September 2021
As the nation reflects on the success of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, and with finals fever in the football codes taking hold across the country, entries for the prestigious Sport Australia Media Awards have opened.
ABC broadcaster Jim Maxwell was the 2020 recipient of the Sport Australia Media Awards lifetime achievement award for sports journalism.
Now in its 20th year, the Media Awards recognise excellence in Australian sports journalism, broadcasting, production and photography.
The Sport Australia Media Awards has 12 categories with Australian sports media encouraged to submit their best work with online nominations to be made from now until Monday, November 1, 2021 at sportausmediaawards.awardsplatform.com.
Like 2020, the last 12 months has seen the sports industry grapple with a number of challenges with the media playing a key role in telling these stories.
“Despite the challenges the nation has faced over the past 12 months, sport has continued to unite us and has often lifted the spirits of many Australians doing it tough,” Sport Australia Acting CEO Rob Dalton said.
“Sporting competitions from grassroots to the elite level have once again been shifted, postponed and cancelled and this has required all sectors of sport to show tremendous resilience.”
“While the highlight for many was the tremendous Olympics and Paralympics held in Tokyo, the domestic competitions have adapted very well to the adversity that has been presented to them and continued to do the best they can.
“Throughout these challenging times, the Australian media industry continues to tell unique, influential and inspiring stories from the world of sport, and Sport Australia’s Media Awards are a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge this.”
The format for the 2021 Sport Australia Media Awards will be determined closer to the time and will be based on the health advice of the relevant Government bodies.
Finalists in the 2021 Sport Australia Media Awards will be notified in December and winners announced in March 2022.
The Sport Australia Media Awards will again honour a new Lifetime Achievement recipient - last year awarded to ABC commentator Jim Maxwell AM.
All entries for this year’s awards must have been published during the qualifying period, from October 24, 2020 to October 18, 2021.
Award categories
For more details and requirements for each of the award categories, go to the 2021 Sport Australia Media awards page, and view the conditions of entry.
- Best reporting of an issue in sport
- Best sport coverage by an individual - video
- Best sport coverage by an individual - written
- Best sport coverage by an individual - audio
- Best coverage of a sporting event
- Best sport profile - written
- Best sport profile - broadcast
- Innovation in sports media
- Best coverage of sport for people with disability
- Best depiction of inclusive sport
- Best coverage of a community sport issue - rural & regional media
- Best sports photography