Rabobank increases sponsorship for

national rural broadcasting award

Australia’s best rural broadcaster will attend a gathering of their international peers in Canada next year thanks to increased sponsorship for the Rabobank Australian Star Prize for Rural Broadcasting, announced in Sydney today.

Major rural lender, Rabobank, has signed a two-year sponsorship agreement with the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ), providing airfares and registration up to a value of $5000 per year.

The sponsorship will fund professional development opportunities for the overall winner, in the form of attending the annual congress of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ), which brings together rural journalists and communicators from around the world.

The 2011 winner will also represent Australia in the IFAJ Star Prize for Agricultural Broadcasting due to be announced at the congress in Ontario, Canada, in September. The 2012 winner will go to Sweden.

The sponsorship commitment was announced today by Rabobank’s Senior Rural Manager, Sydney, Richard Hincks, at the launch of the 2011 award, hosted by the Farm Writers’ Association of NSW Inc in Sydney.

Mr Hincks said Rabobank was pleased to build on its initial sponsorship of the inaugural award held last year, and to support the ACAJ in its efforts to recognise excellence in rural journalism for television, radio and internet-based media.

“Australia has a very high standard of rural broadcast journalism as evidenced by the fact that our local winners went on to take out the top international prizes last year,” he said.

“We are delighted to be able to increase our commitment so that the winner will now have the exciting opportunity to widen their global agricultural knowledge, and to meet and work alongside some of the world’s best journalists covering the farm sector.”

The broadcast award is part of a suite of Star Prize awards for journalism and photography, organised by the ACAJ in association with Australia’s five dedicated rural press clubs. Finalists are selected at a State level for the competitions, which will next year offer prizes up to a value of $10,000.

“The very welcome support from Rabobank has enabled us to expand this prestigious awards program, and provide a valuable professional development opportunity for our best broadcast journalist,” said ACAJ president Liz Harfull.

“Importantly, the broadcast award is open not only to journalists working in traditional radio and television media, but also journalists preparing video and podcasts for internet-based media.”

For more information visit the ACAJ website at www.acaj.org.au

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Editor’s please note: For more interviews and more information on the awards contact ACAJ president Liz Harfull on 0409 674 941 or email lizharfull@internode.on.net