Mushroom trial coverage, investigative work earn Age and Sydney Morning Herald 15 Walkley Awards nominations

1 month ago 6

By Staff reporters

October 16, 2025 — 2.40pm

An investigation into the prevalence of medical misogyny and the in-depth chronicling of mushroom killer Erin Patterson’s courtroom drama headline an impressive list of finalists for The Age in the 70th Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism.

Staff from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald have been nominated a total of 15 times across 12 categories spanning news, photography, feature writing and long-form television journalism.

The Age team behind the coverage of the trial of Erin Patterson are finalists in the coverage of a major news event.

The team of Age staff behind its coverage of the trial of triple-murderer Erin Patterson are finalists in the coverage of a major news event or issue after months of dedicated and insightful coverage of the mushroom killer’s hearing.

Aisha Dow, Kate Aubusson and Emily Kaine’s relentless coverage of medical misogyny earned them a nomination in the specialist and beat reporting category.

Liam Mannix and William Davis are finalists in the same category for their detailed documentation of academic wrongdoing by a disgraced Australian scientist Mark Smyth.

Investigative reporters Nick McKenzie, Kate McClymont and Australian Financial Review journalist Max Mason are finalists in the text news report category for revealing damaging claims of inappropriate behaviour against tech billionaire Richard White, resulting in his resignation as chief executive of the ASX giant WiseTech Global, which he founded.

Investigative reporter Eryk Bagshaw, Good Food reporter Bianca Hrovat and crime reporter Claire Sibthorpe are nominated in the same category for uncovering the sinister underbelly of some of Australia’s most notable hospitality businesses.

McKenzie is also a finalist in the investigative journalism category, alongside 60 Minutes producers Amelia Ballinger and Serge Negus, for detailing further corruption in the embattled CFMEU, reported extensively in this masthead’s Building Bad series. Last year, McKenzie won a number of awards, including the Gold Walkley with Ben Schneiders and David Marin-Guzman for their exposés of the construction industry.

McKenzie and Ballinger are nominated in the television current affairs (long) category for Taken For A Ride a joint report with 60 Minutes, uncovering how Australia’s largest taxi company has been accused of failing to stop rampant rorting of its customers.

Sarah Danckert and Carla Jaeger are finalists in the business journalism category for their exclusives detailing the downfall of Dubber, an ASX-listed tech group whose then-chief executive, Steve McGovern, allegedly became influenced by underworld figures.

Good Weekend Magazine senior writer Melissa Fyfe has been nominated across two long-form writing categories (feature writing short and long) for her examination of forced marriages in Australia and insightful profile of Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe.

The groundbreaking visual story documenting the pursuit of Chinese dissident Badiucao by Chinese authorities netted the Age artist a nomination in the innovation journalism category, alongside artistic director Matthew Absalom-Wong, opinion editor Patrick O’Neil and head of audio and video Tom McKendrick.

Sydney Morning Herald photographer Steven Siewert is a finalist for the Nikon-Walkley press photographer for the year for his folio of work.

Photographer Chris Hopkins is also a finalist, including for his work as a freelancer at The Age.

Freelance photographer Flavio Brancaleone’s photographic essay documenting the papal election, which ran in this masthead and with the Australian Associated Press.

Cartoonist Alan Moir’s astute work, Scalpel, which represents the internal challenges facing new Liberal leader Sussan Ley, has been nominated in the cartoon of the year category.

Editor of The Age Patrick Elligett said the nominations were a credit to the organisation’s culture of breaking important stories.

“In a big year of major news, The Age’s investigative DNA and our newsroom’s passion for innovation shines through in these nominations,” he said.

Age photographer Chris Hopkins has been nominated in the feature/photographic essay category.

More than 1000 works were entered into the awards, and finalists were decided by an array of leading journalists and judged on strict criteria.

Shona Martyn, chief executive of the Walkley Foundation said the quality of entries was high across all categories.

“My congratulations to the reporters, commentators, photographers, camera operators, cartoonists, podcasters, authors and documentary-makers whose stories on matters of public interest have made the final cut,” Shona said.

The winners of the Walkley Awards will be announced in Sydney on November 27

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