Top honours for Julian Fell and The Age crew at Samsung IT Journalism Awards

AUCKLAND, Today: Julian Fell from ABC and The Age/SMH team were among the big winners at the 23rd Annual Samsung Australian IT Journalism Awards, held Friday, March 28.

Fell didn’t just take home Best Journalist—he also claimed both Best Security Journalist and Best News Journalist, making it a triple win on the night.

From The Age/SMH, Tim Biggs and David Swan won Best Consumer Technology Coverage, while Kate McClymont and Nick McKenzie, with The Fin’s Max Mason and Tess Bennett, earned Best News Coverage.

A special moment came when Grahame Lynch received the Pioneer of IT Journalism award, marking 30 years of CommsDay. He was honoured with tributes from current and former journalists, industry leaders, and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland.

As Communications Minister, said Rowland, “my day usually begins with scrolling through your publication to get across the very latest.

“CommsDay is the authoritative source of commercial, regulatory, political and tech news, and this is all thanks to your editorial leadership.” – Michelle Rowland

“CommsDay is the authoritative source of commercial, regulatory, political and tech news, and this is all thanks to your editorial leadership.”

New awards also debuted this year. Nature’s Smriti Mallapaty was named Best Science Journalist, while IREN co-founder Daniel Roberts took out the Top Newsmaker Award.

Industry veteran Len Rust presented the Top Newsmaker honour in a moment that connected past and present voices in the field. Guests kicked off the night at Doltone House, Pyrmont, with cocktails and canapés on the deck, before the awards got underway—floral dress code and all.

A huge thanks goes to everyone who attended, and to all the sponsors who made the night possible. That includes Naming and Chief Sponsor Samsung, lifetime sponsor Watterson, and returning partners Optus, Meta, NetApp, ACS and Amazon.

Shoutout to new supporters too—Alternaleaf, Apptio (photobooth sponsor), Aussie Broadband (Official Gin Sponsor), Cisco (live cast), and Adobe (print and design).

Check out the full list of winners from the 23rd Annual Samsung IT Journalism Awards below.

Alicia Camphuisen Best New Journalist
Hannah Geremia
HC: Ashley Regan

Best Security Journalist
Julian Fell
HC: Patrick Gray

Best Technical Journalist
Kevin Nguyen
HC: Jeremy Nadel

Best Gaming Journalist
Edmond Tran
HC: Luke Reilly

Best Gaming Coverage
ABC
HC: The Age & Sydney Morning Herald

Paul Zucker Best Technology Industry Journalist
Paul Smith
HC: David Braue

Best Games Reviewer
Alice Clarke
HC: Edmond Tran, Matt Hewson

Best Technology Reviewer
Djuro Sen
HC: Alex Kidman

Best Technology Issues Journalist
David Swan
HC: Ariel Bogle, Daniel Van Boom

Pioneer of IT Media
Grahame Lynch

Best Short-Form Content
The Guardian Australia
HC: Erielle Sudario, Sarah Aubrey

John Costello Best Business Technology Journalist
Andrew Birmingham
HC: Paul Smith

Best Business Coverage
InnovationAus
HC: CapitalBrief, The Australian Financial Review

Best Consumer Technology Coverage
The Age and Sydney Morning Herald
HC: High Performance Laptops

Best News Coverage
The Age & Sydney Morning Herald
HC: Capital Brief, Communications Day

Graeme Phillpson Best Columnist 
James Riley
HC: Cam Wilson

Cass Warneminde Best News Journalist
Julian Fell
HC: Josh Taylor

Best Independent Media
Pickr
HC: SIFTER

Helen Dancer Best Consumer Technology Journalist
Trevor Long
HC: Jarni Blakkarly, Josh Taylor

Best Audio Program
Debunks
HC: Download This Show

Best Video Program
SBS Dateline & SBS Documentaries
HC: ABC Investigations

Best Telecommunications Journalist
Rohan Pearce
HC: Josh Taylor

David Hellaby Best Media Relations
Mike Foley

Best Corporate Content
Women Love Tech
HC: GamesHub

Top Newsmaker
Daniel Roberts

Best Science Journalist
Smriti Mallapaty
HC: Angus Dalton

Best Journalist
Julian Fell

Best Title
The Age and Sydney Morning Herald