The Courier goes back-to-back for newspaper of the year honour

The Courier was celebrated as newspaper of the year as publishers and staff gathered in Sydney for the annual Country Press NSW conference and gala awards dinner.

Mastheads from across the state were represented at the celebration of country newspapers, held at the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney.

At the awards night, The Courier was the most recognised publication featuring in 12 of 15 categories.

The Courier was the winner of four honours, was runner-up in five categories and also received three commendations.

The Courier’s sister publication, the Gunnedah Times, was the second most recognised publication featuring in six categories.

The presentation of the awards ended with the highest honour of newspaper of the year.

Of more than 30 member newspapers eligible for the title, The Courier was judged as the winner, with runner-up staying within the North Western Courier family and presented to the Gunnedah Times.

The judge of the best newspaper category said every entry showed there was a passionate team behind the masthead.

RUNNER-UP, BEST HUMAN INTEREST PHOTOGRAPH: Ali Smith, The Courier.

“The Courier has a clean, consistent, easy to read layout and the advertisements were generally colourful and eye catching,” the judge’s comments read.

“The sport section was good with an excellent ‘news’ sport story, reading in from the back.”

Between the two publications, five awards were presented in addition to being a runner-up in nine categories and highly commended in four categories.

The Courier’s senior journalist Ali Smith was also the recipient of the coveted Journalist of the Year title while sports journalist Blake Jarrett was announced as the runner-up for Young Journalist of the Year.

“Blake is described by his general manager, Dylan Smith, as capable and innovative, such good skills for a journalist,” the judge’s citation said.

“It is clear he has elevated sports coverage in this masthead and its sister publications.

“It is clear from her entries in this section that Ali is an asset to the editorial team at the North Western Courier.

“She can turn her writing skills from reporting on the challenges of getting to school in flood affected communities, to the issue of the city-country healthcare divide.

“She is described as a natural storyteller, who goes to great lengths for an exceptional yarn.

“Her submission on the effects of flooding in the local community was written while she was isolated on her partner’s cotton farm.

“Her story on the healthcare divide highlights a personal account of a woman who waited five-years for a leukemia diagnosis.

“Ali has received the Narrabri Rotary Club’s Pride of Workmanship Award for her journalistic endeavours and her community work.”

In addition to winning best newspaper, The Courier was the winner of best sports photograph for Blake Jarrett’s image of Narrabri Blues brothers Daniel and Kalab Mcmillan combining to produce one of the biggest tackles of the Group 4 Rugby season.

Blake was praised for his story on Martha Harvey’s NSW Waratahs debut, titled ‘Hometown Hero’ and was commended for best sports story.

The Courier’s general manager Dylan Smith was highly commended in the best news photograph category for an image captured at the Narrabri Anzac Day service.

An image of truck driver and owner-operator Allan Anderson, who spoke to senior journalist Ali Smith about worker shortages in the bush, received runner-up best human interest photograph.

The Courier’s comprehensive news website was named runner-up for best digital innovation.

For coverage of the 2022 floods, The Courier received runner-up best overall news coverage.

The Courier also featured strongly across the ceremony’s advertising categories.

The 2022 Annual Review received a commendation.

An advertisement promoting Allpets Veterinary Clinic, with the tagline ‘We care for ALL pets’ was runner-up best print advertisement.

In best advertising feature, The Courier’s annual Education Choices guide was the overall winner.

Last year’s Narrabri Chamber of Commerce Business Awards feature was also praised by judges.

The Courier’s general manager Dylan Smith accepted the newspaper of the year title on stage and praised the publication’s staff for their continued professionalism.

“To be recognised by the wider newspaper industry for excellence in editorial and advertising is a gratifying experience,” he said.

“The awards ceremony was made even more special with the recognition of the Gunnedah Times newspaper as well.

“To have two of our publications celebrated in the best newspaper category was a special moment for our staff based in both Narrabri and Gunnedah.

“These achievements are thanks to our incredible team.

“We are grateful to our advertisers who recognise the benefits of using The Courier to promote their business.

“Publishing a newspaper is only possible through support by advertisers and readers.”

In a new initiative by national body, Country Press Australia, winners of some state awards will be eligible at a national ceremony to be held in Melbourne in November. The Courier will be eligible for national awards contention for both best newspaper and best sports photograph.

Country Press NSW president Lucie Peart, who was unanimously returned by members at the conference’s annual general meeting, said the 2023 awards were strongly supported by country independent mastheads, which reflected a growing confidence in the industry and a determination to continue coming back to financial health after the economic decimation caused by COVID-19.

She said the organisation has achieved a 25 per cent increase in membership during this year, as more mastheads join Country Press NSW in order to continue presenting a unified regional newspaper industry to state and federal governments, and local councils.

Ms Peart urged the NSW government not to forget the vital role that public interest advertising, in print, plays in the long-term future of country newspapers.

The Courier will again be represented on Country Press NSW, with Dylan Smith elected as a council member for a second term. Wanda Dunnet will also serve on the council as a representative of the Gunnedah Times.