There are only ten days until the closing deadline, so make sure you check out the 60 awards on offer for the 2022 Voyager Media Awards and enter your best work from 2021.

There are a number of new awards available this year as a result of continuous consultation with the industry to ensure the Voyager Media Awards remain as relevant as possible.

Best reporting – lifestyle is a new award and is open to print-based, website and broadcast journalists. Entrants need to submit three lifestyle stories published in New Zealand newspapers, magazines and/or websites (including radio and television) or broadcast on radio or television during 2021. A portfolio of three items is required.

Another new award is Best data journalism, introduced to recognise the importance of journalism that sources, analyses and interprets numerical data to help produce and inform news stories. Entries are accepted from an individual or a team and are open to print-based, website and broadcast journalists. A portfolio of three items is required.

The Broadcast Reporter of the Year award has been split into two separate awards this year: News; and Current Affairs. Broadcast Reporter of the Year – News requires up to five stories/items (up to 15 minutes in total), whilst Broadcast Reporter of the Year – Current Affairs requires up to three stories/items (up to 30 minutes in total). The stories/items across both awards must have been broadcast on New Zealand radio, television and/or a news website in 2021.

With international travel starting to free up in 2022, a reminder that the Peter M Acland Fellowship is being offered this year. The Fellowship is open to all journalists and visual journalists working across all media and covers travel, accommodation and the recipient’s salary during the term of the Fellowship.

And finally, a reminder that there’s no fee for entries to the Best Student Journalist award. The NPA is committed to sustainability of journalism and this is one way they are supporting new talent. The Best Student Journalist award is open to print-based, website and broadcast journalists.  Check the award criteria to see if you’re eligible.

Entry and judging criteria for all awards can be found at here. Along with the new awards the entry criteria for some existing awards have been updated, so please ensure you read through all details carefully.

Entries close at 1pm on Friday, February 25, 2022.

The list of finalists will be released in May. The 2022 Voyager Media Awards will culminate with a celebration of winners in Auckland later this year, details to follow soon.

Key dates:

  • Monday, January 17, 2022 (midday) – Entries open
  • Friday, February 25, 2022 (1pm) – Entries close
  • May 2022 – Finalists announced

A huge thank you to our 2022 sponsors; Voyager Internet, NZ On Air, RNZ, Asia Media Centre, Canon, Google News Initiative, Māori Television, Sky Sport, Spark NZ, Media Chaplaincy NZ, PMCA and Science Media Centre.  Without their generous support these awards would not be possible.*

Aotearoa’s 49th National Media Awards have celebrated excellence in New Zealand journalism since 1973. Originally known as the Qantas Press Awards, then the Canon Media Awards, Voyager Internet has been the premier sponsor since 2018. The awards are managed and promoted by the News Publishers’ Association which champions the news media industry of New Zealand.

*There are a limited number of sponsorship opportunities still available for 2022 if you or your organisation would like to support the celebration and recognition of quality New Zealand journalism.


For further information:
Please contact Brook Cameron, General Manager, News Publishers’ Association on brook.cameron@npa.co.nz or visit npa.co.nz/voyager-media-awards