Winners across four categories, including Written; Audio, Digital and Video; Photography; and All Media, were revealed at a glamorous black-tie event at the Grand Millennium in Auckland.

Jeremy Corbett hosted the evening’s festivities for the 3^rd time, which saw the industry come together for the 53^rd year since the very first Awards in 1973.

Some of the big winners on the night included Sarah Bristow for Editorial Leader of the Year; Rotorua Daily Post for Newspaper of the Year; Stuff for Digital News Provider of the Year; Catherine Woulfe Feature Writer of the Year; Richard Robinson Photographer of the Year; and Zoe Madden-Smith Video Journalist of the Year. Sam Sherwood was a standout, winning no less than three awards; Reporter of the Year, News Journalist of the Year and Best Specialist Reporting.

The judges commented “… the quality of the entries was exceptional…” and also said that “…it’s always encouraging seeing the quality of work coming from young journalists…”.

“For the News Publishers’ Association, managing the NZ Media Awards is about more than an awards night—it’s about coming together as a community to celebrate the extraordinary people whose work informs, challenges and uplifts Aotearoa.” said Brook Cameron, GM of the NPA.

To see the full results of the 2026 NZ Media Awards, including the winners’ work and accompanying judges’ comments, click the button below. You can also view a recording of the Awards.

We are so grateful to have the continued support of our generous sponsors including:
Gold sponsors: ANZ Bank New Zealand, NZ On Air
Silver sponsors: Spark NZ, Sport NZ
Bronze sponsor: Media Copyright Agency (MCA)

Without their generous support these awards would not be possible.

Aotearoa’s national Media Awards have celebrated excellence in New Zealand journalism for 53 years. Originally known as the Qantas Press Awards, then the Canon Media Awards, Voyager Internet was the premier sponsor 2018 – 2025. The awards are managed and promoted by the News Publishers’ Association which champions the news media industry of New Zealand.

Please direct any queries about the 2026 Media Awards to nzmediaawards@npa.co.nz