2023 Rural and Regional Journalism and Photography Awards

Rural Press Club of Victoria opens nominations for the 2023 Rural and Regional Journalism and Photography Awards.

Nominations have opened for the 2023 Rural Press Club of Victoria Journalism and Photography Awards.

The annual competition celebrates the exemplary work of journalists and photographers from Victoria and Tasmania in the last 12 months.

Rural Press Club of Victoria president Bryce Eishold said the awards were a timely opportunity to recognise and highlight the importance of grassroots journalism in regional communities.

“Rural and regional journalists and photographers play a crucial role in providing accurate, timely and relevant information to their communities,” Mr Eishold said.

“This year, journalists and photographers will be recognised at a gala event in Geelong at the iconic Geelong Library and Heritage Centre on Friday, October 27.

“The RPCV encourages every newsroom in Victoria and Tasmania to celebrate the work of their journalists and photographers by nominating their best stories and photos from the 2022-23 financial year.”

Nominations for the awards will remain open for four weeks and close on Thursday, August 31.

In 2022, Loddon Herald was crowned Media Outlet of the Year with commendations to The Weekly Times and Shepparton News.

Harrison Tippet (Geelong Advertiser) was awarded Journalist of the Year, Shannon Schubert (ABC Central Victoria) was named the Ray Frawley Young Journalist of the Year and Darren Howe (Bendigo Advertiser) was crowned Photographer of the Year.

The club encourages entries from all platforms (print, broadcast and online) across a wide range of award categories. 

Entry Requirements

Entries open on Tuesday, August 1 and close Thursday, August 31 2023 at 5pm.

Please note, entries will only be accepted in JPG, PDF, YouTube or SoundCloud format.

Due to the lengthy process of navigating passwords last year, no paywall links will be accepted in 2023.

Journalists are asked to instead submit PDFs of the nominated story in the event an online story is behind a paywall.

Entry is free on renewal of your RPCV membership subscription for the 2023/24 year.

Please note, no extension for submissions will be granted beyond the August 31 deadline.

Stories eligible for nomination must have been published between July 1, 2022 through to June 30, 2023

In order to nominate, you must be an RPCV member. Buy or renew your membership.

Should you have any queries relating to your entry, please feel free to contact the RPCV Awards Coordinator, Alannah Halloran at awards@ruralpressclubvictoria.com.au.