Australians sparkle in international Star Prize

Two Australians took out major awards in the prestigious 2009 Star Prize competition for journalists and photographers at the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists World Congress in Texas, USA.

A photo by Evan Collis and an article by John Conroy were honoured in strong competition from communicators in more than 30 IFAJ member countries around the world.

Western Australian-based freelance photographer Evan Collis won the prize for the best photo depicting production aspects of farming in the Star Prize for Agricultural Photography, and Victorian reporter John Conroy was runner-up in the Star Prize for Agricultural Journalism.

Certificates for the two winners will  be presented during the Rural Press Club of Victoria’s annual awards night. The Victorian club is affiliated with the IFAJ through the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists.

Collis’s winning photo, “New labour saver header a present from timely rain”, was published in Groundcover, in March 2008. The magazine is produced by Coretext for the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

Judges found that his photo was ‘beautifully sharp and timed to perfection’. They were particularly impressed by the innovative angle and framing of the shot, and found that Collis had successfully captured one aspect of the drought in Australia.

Pictured right : The award winning grain harvest photo by Evan Collis.

A second photo by Collis was awarded a commended certificate in a category for landscape photography. ‘Meticulous planning drives history making quest’ was published in the July 2008 edition of Groundcover.

The photography competition attracted a record 157 entries, including nine from Australia. The overall prize went to Hans Menop from The Netherlands for a stunning landscape photo reminiscent of the Dutch Old Masters.

Australia has a good track record in the photography award, with the overall prize last year going to Mike Dugdale from Geelong.

Victorian reporter John Conroy was the first Australian to be an international finalist in the Star Prize for journalism since it was established five years ago.

Competitors in the writing award are selected at a national level, with 14 countries vying for the prize this year.

Conroy’s entry, The Drover’s Lament, was published in The Border Mail, at Albury, on October 18, 2008.

Judges said the article was a “sterling report of the dying breed of drovers, with clear and well-worked detail from personal stories and facts. It brought history to the modern-day reader.”

One judge said it was “very interesting…not only about the special Australian way of transferring big herds, but also about damaging cultural heritage and the environment.” Another said it was “a surprising story with a lot of quotes, which leads to a feeling of closeness to the concerned cattlemen.”

The overall winner was a story by Friederike Krick of Germany, published in the German farmer magazine Neue Landwirtschaft.

The IFAJ and Australian Star Prizes for print journalism are sponsored by John Deere and the IFAJ photography prizes are sponsored by DeLaval. Both Australian winners will receive 250 Euros in prize money for their efforts.

Pictured right: Rural Press Club of Victoria President Ed Gannon presenting John Conroy with his certificate and prize, for runner up in the IFAJ Star Prize for Writing.

To view the winning photos and for more information about the prizes visit www.ifaj.org