The NZ Herald and nzherald.co.nz scooped several major awards at the online 2020 Voyager Media Awards tonight, winning Voyager Newspaper of the Year, the two website categories and Newspaper of the Year (more than 30,000 circ).

Stuff also won an array of awards with the Waikato Times winning Newspaper of the Year (up to 30,000 circ) and The Press winning Best newspaper front page. The Sunday Star-Times won Weekly Newspaper of the Year and its magazine Sunday won Best newspaper-inserted magazine.

Community Newspaper of the Year, sponsored by ASB, was won by The Beacon, Whakatane, for the second year running.

NZ Herald won both Website of the Year, sponsored by Voyager, and Best news website, sponsored by Huawei, with newsroom.co.nz as runner-up in the latter category. The website judges commended the Herald on its “powerhouse news operation that dominated the biggest moments of an eventful year”.

Photographer of the Year, sponsored by Canon, was won by Alan Gibson, NZ Herald who, the judges said, nailed every aspect of photography.

Stuff’s Lawrence Smith won Video Journalist of the Year, sponsored by Canon, with pieces the judges said were beautifully shot. Smith will receive The McKendry Award awarded in memory of legendary cameraman Derek McKendry.

In the magazine categories, Magazine of the Year, sponsored by Ovato, was won jointly by New Zealand Geographic, Kōwhai Media (for the fourth year in a row) and Metro magazine, Bauer Media. Another Bauer title, HOME New Zealand, won Best magazine design and Best magazine cover. A pleasure to pick up and treasure, the judges said.

Best innovation in digital storytelling, sponsored by Google News Initiative, was won by NZ Herald and Greenstone TV with Fighting the Demon, the inside story on New Zealand’s meth crisis. Fighting the Demon was also runner-up in Best editorial campaign or project.

Stuff won Best team investigation, sponsored by NZ On Air, with Product of Australia: sending convicts to New Zealand. Stuff was also dominant in the podcast categories. Stuff and RNZ won Best narrative/serial podcast with White Silence, a powerful retelling of the Erebus story. And Stuff was a joint winner of Best episodic/recurrent podcast with Out of My Mind, an insight into the minds of people with mental health conditions.

Newsroom.co.nz’s Melanie Reid won Best single news story with her expose of Oranga Tamariki uplifts of new-born babies from their mothers. Newsroom.co.nz also won Best editorial campaign or project for the Oranga Tamariki stories.

Stuff’s Hamish McNeilly, from The Press, won Regional Journalist of the Year, sponsored by Google News Initiative, and Stuff reporter Virginia Fallon, from the Kāpiti Observer, won Community Journalist of the Year.

Sports Journalist of the Year went to Stuff’s Dana Johannesen, for the third year in a row, and the Business Journalist of the Year award was won by Tim Hunter, NBR. NZ Herald’s Audrey Young won Political Reporter of the Year.

The Environmental/Sustainability Award, sponsored by Meridian Energy, was won by Kate Evans, New Zealand Geographic.

The Science Journalism Award, sponsored by the Science Media Centre, was won by Eloise Gibson, newsroom.co.nz, for the second year in a row.

Cartoonist of the Year was won by Toby Morris from The Spinoff, whom the judges described as a skilful visual storyteller. Morris was also runner-up in the Best artworks/graphics award which was won by TVNZ’s 1 News Design Team.

Staged by the Newspaper Publishers’ Association with Voyager Internet as premier sponsor, the awards have been running for 47 years.

For further information:
Email: voyagermediaawards@npa.nz
www.voyagermediaawards.nz
#VMA2020NZ