Students and graduates from the University of Melbourne’s journalism program have once again been recognised for the quality of their published work in the Melbourne Press Club’s 2021 Quill Awards.
Amalyah Hart, Petra Stock and Fia Walsh are all shortlisted for the 2021 student journalist of the year award, along with Ruth Brooke from Monash University and Warwick Jones from RMIT. The winner will be announced at the annual awards dinner on Friday March 18.
Amalyah Hart was nominated for her story “Earth’s orbital space: who’s in charge?” The story published in Cosmos magazine looks at the growing number of satellite-based internet services, including Elon Musk’s Starlink, and astronomers’ concerns about plans for some 100,000 satellites to be launched within coming decades.
Petra Stock – who has just taken up a position as Schiavon cadet in the Centre for Advancing Journalism newsroom – was shortlisted for “National treasure”. Her Australian Geographic article covers the decline of small coins – a trend accelerated by COVID-19 – and the significance of the coins uniquely Australian ‘tails’ and the legacy of their designer Stuart Devlin.
Fia Walsh was nominated for her piece “On the land, between phosphate and a hard place”. Fia has recently graduated and taken a cadetship with News Corporation at the Brisbane Courier.
Her nominated story, published by our University of Melbourne website The Citizen, looks into Australian farmers’ reliance on the mineral phosphate given questions around global supplies of the element and rising prices.
Our students aren’t the only ones being recognised. Craig Butt, a subject coordinator and lecturer in the Master of Journalism and Master of International Journalism programs, has also been shortlisted for two awards.
The University of Melbourne journalism program has a proud record of nominees and winners in the Quill awards in recent years. Last year, Jess Malcolm took out the honours. The previous year Liam Petterson was the winner.
See the full list of 2021 nominees here.
