The Rural Press Club of Victoria today calls for journalists and photographers across the state to submit their best work, ahead of the first-ever awards to be held in Gippsland.
Nominations for the annual awards open today for three weeks only, allowing Victorians an opportunity to celebrate the exemplary work of journalists and photographers.
Rural Press Club of Victoria president Alex Sinnott said many of Australia’s best journalists and photographers had been previously recognised by the RPCV over the years at its annual awards ceremony.
“Rural and regional journalists and photographers play a crucial role in providing accurate, timely and relevant information to their communities,” Mr Sinnott said.
“Previous award winners have gone on to become the nation’s leading journalists, photographers and creatives – working as foreign correspondents, international photographers and agenda-setting writers.
“This year, the Rural Press Club of Victoria is excited to host its gala awards night for the first time in Warragul, at the West Gippsland Arts Centre, with generous thanks to the Baw Baw Shire.
“The RPCV encourages every newsroom in Victoria to celebrate the work of their journalists and photographers by nominating their best stories and photos from the 2024-25 financial year.
“To be eligible, please renew your Rural Press Club of Victoria membership for this financial year.”
The RPCV invites nominations in the following categories:
In an effort to more equitably assess entries from different newsrooms, our judges will be asked to consider the resources available to a journalist or newsroom when assessing entries.
The RPCV has a cap of three entries for each entrant, to ensure a diversity of work is recognised.
RPCV vice president Kellie Lazzaro said the Rural and Regional Journalism and Photography Awards has a proud history of celebrating the important role local media plays in their communities.
“The awards night is always immensely popular, so we expect strong ticket sales again for our gala function at the West Gippsland Arts Centre,” Ms Lazzaro said.
Entries will be accepted until 5pm Sunday, August 24. Shortlisted entries will be announced in late September.
Please note, entries will only be accepted in PDF, YouTube or SoundCloud format.
Judges will not consider online stories that sit behind a paywall, unless the entrant provides the article in PDF format.
Entry is free on renewal of your RPCV membership subscription for the 2025/26 financial year. In order to nominate, you must be an RPCV member.
If you are unsure of your membership status, please email admin@ruralpressclubvictoria.com.au
Stories eligible for nomination must have been published between July 1, 2024 through to June 30, 2025
Please note, no extension for submissions will be granted beyond the August 24 deadline.
All photographs entered in the awards process, whether finalists or not, may be used on the Rural Press Club of Victoria’s social media channels with attribution.
Any nomination that fails to comply with the stated requirements or lacks integral information will be considered invalid, and not considered by judges.
Each entrant may submit up to three entries in the awards. In this instance, each submission of an awards application form is considered one ‘entry’.
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.
Journalists, photographers and supporters of regional and rural media are warmly invited to attend the 2024 RPCV Rural and Regional Journalism and Photography Awards dinner in Warragul on Friday, October 31. The inaugural scholarship winner will also be announced at the awards evening.
Tickets will be available for purchase on the RPCV website from Monday, September 1.
Entry is now open for all Major and General Awards categories until 11.59pm, Sunday 24 August 2025.
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