Guardian Australia journalists have been celebrated at the prestigious Melbourne Press Club Quill awards, with sports writer Jonathan Horn and photographer Chris Hopkins both securing top honours for their compelling work. The publication received an impressive eight nominations across various categories at the 31st annual ceremony held in Melbourne on Friday night.
Recognising Excellence in Sports and Features Photography
Jonathan Horn claimed the 2026 award for best sports feature with his poignant series Mourning Three Beloved Footballers, which explores deaths within AFL families. The judging panel praised Horn's collection as "a powerful deep dive into the connection between life, mortality and the sport so many Australians love."
Meanwhile, Chris Hopkins won best features photograph for his moving series Kathy's Last Wish, documenting Kathy Rieger, a woman with metastatic cancer, caring for her adult son Steven. Judges described Hopkins' images as capturing "the intimacy, the love, beauty, pathos and patience" of this deeply personal story.
Further Accolades for Guardian Australia
Several other Guardian Australia contributors received recognition. Assistant picture editor and photographer Ellen Smith was highly commended in the photographic features category for her portrait of Martu man Neil Bidu in Parnpajinya, Western Australia.
Courts and justice reporter Nino Bucci and deputy picture editor Blake Sharp-Wiggins were highly commended for excellence in Indigenous affairs reporting for their story The Killing of Kumanjayi Walker.
Notable Winners Across Australian Media
The Herald Sun's Robyn Riley took home the evening's highest honour, the Gold Quill, alongside the award for best news report in writing. Her scoop revealed an IVF mix-up that resulted in a woman unknowingly giving birth to a stranger's baby.
ABC News journalist Adele Ferguson was named the 50th Graham Perkin Australian journalist of the year for her investigative work exposing failures in Australia's childcare system.
Prestigious Nominations and Lifetime Achievement
Guardian Australia's Queensland correspondent Ben Smee was nominated in the prestigious journalist of the year category for his two-year investigation Broken Trust, which exposed police failures in domestic violence cases where women were killed.
Former ABC journalist Heather Ewart received the press club's lifetime achievement award, with judges commending her outstanding career as a political reporter, overseas correspondent, and presenter on the Backroads program.
Additional Guardian Australia nominations included science reporter Petra Stock for excellence in science, medical and health reporting, and columnist Ranjana Srivastava for the Keith Dunstan Quill for commentary on palliative care.
Selina Zhang of 9News was named young journalist of the year, rounding out an evening that celebrated the breadth and depth of Australian journalism across print, digital, and photographic mediums.
