Australian Star Prize for Rural Writing

The Australian Star Prize for Rural Writing, sponsored by John Deere, offers a cash prize of $1,000. The award is organised by the ACAJ to recognize excellence in print journalism in the rural sector.

The winner is chosen from finalists nominated by State rural media organisations affiliated with the ACAJ.

The successful entry goes on to represent Australia in the IFAJ Star Prize for Agricultural Journalism (Print).

To be eligible for entry, the story must:

• Be of wide agricultural interest.
• Be written by an individual or team.
• Have been published as editorial.
• Be a single story. Multiple articles that make up a series are not allowed. In such a situation, select one article from the series to enter.

Judging criteria:

Writing will be judged on the following:

• Style 25%
• Content 50%
• Objectivity and balance 25%

The layout and design of the article will not be considered in the judging.

2010 winner

The writing skills of young Victorian journalist John Conroy have won him the ACAJ Star Prize for Rural Journalism for the second year in a row.

An international panel of judges has named The Border Mail journalist as the best rural writer of the year for his feature ‘Out west, where the rain don’t fall’.

Mr Conroy will now represent Australia in the world’s most prestigious professional competition for rural reporters – the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Star Prize for Agricultural Journalism.

The Australian prize was organised by the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ), the national umbrella organisation for the five state-based rural press clubs.  Read his winning story

2009 winner

Victorian journalist John Conroy was named Australia’s best rural writer in 2009 for his story ‘The Drover’s Lament’. The Wodonga journalist went on to come runner-up in international Star Prize for Agricultural Journalism, the first Australian to be short-listed for this prestigious award.

Conroy’s story was published in The Border Mail in October 2008. It looked at the uncertain future of drovers and stock routes from Queensland to Victoria. The judges all commended Conroy’s article for its strong content, style and balance. “It showed excellent rigour in gathering information, with five sources,” they said. “The topic holds broad interest for rural and urban readers with elements of nostalgia, environmental quality, natural resource management and the timeliness of public decision making.” Read winning article (7.6MB PDF)

Second place was awarded to the previous year’s winner, Brad Cooper, from Good Fruit and Vegetables magazine, and third place went to two journalists from Western Australia’s Farm Weekly, Colin Bettles and Beth Johnston.

2008 winner

Good Fruit and Vegetables magazine editor Brad Cooper, from Queensland, was selected by an international panel of judges to receive the 2008 Australian Star Prize for Rural Journalism.

Brad’s winning story, ‘The last post: life and death in the Murray Darling Basin’, was published in the November 2007 edition of Good Fruit and Vegetables. It covered, in depth, the impact of ongoing water shortages in the Basin on growers and their communities.

One of the judges, Dr Jim Evans, from the University of Illinois in the United States, said the entry carried special impact, partly because of the breadth, importance and timeliness of the issue it addressed, and partly because it reflected strong journalistic enterprise. “An attention-gaining lead sets the stage for examining elements (mismanagement, flawed science and deregulated water market) that lie beyond the challenges of drought. Then the story segments draw upon a variety of sources to highlight relevant dimensions of the severe challenges facing producers and communities in the Basin. Copy throughout the entry reads nicely and commands interest,” he said.

Carlene Dowie from The Australian Dairyfarmer was runner-up and Mathew Cawood from The Land was placed third.

2007 winner

The 2007 Australian Star Prize for Rural Writing has been won by Aimee Pedler, a senior journalist with the Stock Journal in South Australia.

She is pictured here with RMSA President Ian Doyle and Chair of the SA judging panel Dale Manson.

Aimee's winning entry was an investigative article looking at a critical shortage of agricultural teachers in South Australia. To view a copy of her entry click here.

Other finalists included Brad Cooper from Queensland Country Life and Matthew Cawood from The Land.

Previous winners

2006 - Neil Lyon, The Land, Tamworth, NSW. Farm Writers of NSW sponsored Neil's trip to the 2006 IFAJ Congress in Norway. His stories can be downloaded at www.nswfarmwriters.org/IFAJ_STARPRIZE.htm

2005 - Lara Ladyman, the Countryman, Western Australia.