Monash alumni win four Quills and six high commendations at the 29th Melbourne Press Club awards

Monash alumni have scored four Quills and six high commendations for journalism excellence at the 29th Melbourne Press Club awards at Crown Palladium on March 24.

For the second consecutive year, Monash Arts alumni won two sports categories – the Sports Feature and Coverage of Women in Sport.

Two-time Walkley Award-winning journalist Jeremy Story Carter won the best Sports Feature for Kick in hope, an inspiring story about the remote King Island Football Association.

Jeremy said he was fortunate the ABC supported him to write long-form journalism.

 

Andrea Thiss-Evensen (T-L), Danny Tran (T-R), Jeremy Story Carter (B-R), Marnie Vinall (B-L)
“I’m very grateful for King Island football for letting me in and allowing me to spend a bit of time in that community,” Jeremy said

“The King Island community seemed to feel that their experiences were reflected in the story and they have been generous with their feedback.

“I’d like to think I can go back there now, essentially play a game of footy and have a beer with them and feel like I carried their story in an okay way.”

Master of Communications and Media alumnus Konrad Marshall, a Good Weekend magazine journalist, won a high commendation for his sports feature, Who cares?

In the Women in Sport category, Media and Communication alumna and The Age journalist Marnie Vinall teamed with colleague Greg Baum to win the Quill for their FIFA Women’s World Cup coverage.

Marnie said winning the Quill with Greg Baum was a “pinch me” moment and one she wouldn’t forget anytime soon.

“It’s beyond an honour to be recognised alongside Greg Baum who has long been one of my favourite journalists and it’s such a privilege that I get to call him a colleague but now to win this award beside him,” Marnie said.

“And that comes for all our work on the Women’s World Cup … I can’t believe the Tillies got me a Quill award. It’s a bit surreal even to be in the room with respected journalists across the industry.”

ABC journalist Danny Tran was surprised to win the Radio News category – his first Quill – for the report, The Melbourne hospital where radiation leaked through the floor.

He was grateful to be recognised for his radio work.

“Monash put me in touch with people that I admired, who helped me learn what a story was, how to approach it, how to find a story and what to do when I got it,” Danny said.

“And I’ll be forever grateful for Monash’s support.”

Monash journalism alumna Andrea Thiis-Evensen was a member of the News Corp team that won a Quill for Podcasting and scored two other high commendations.

Andrea teamed with Herald Sun reporter Stephen Drill and executive producer Dan Box to produce the Quill-winning podcast, Hillsong: Faith on Trial.

“It’s been incredible working alongside people like Stephen and I’m really grateful, I wasn’t expecting that (Quill win),” Andrea said.

“Crime has become my niche. I don’t think I was expecting that when I was studying at Monash but (crime podcasting) kind of became a pathway.

“I’ve been lectured and tutored by the best kind of people so I feel very grateful.”

With Anthony Dowsley and Jonty Burton, Andrea also won a high commendation in the Podcasting category for The Devil’s Apprentice.

In the Best Coverage of an Issue category, Andrea combined with Stephen Drill, Dan Box and Lil Saleh to win a high commendation for Hillsong: Faith on Trial.

Three other Monash journalism alumni scored high commendations in the Quills.

Herald Sun journalist Suzan Delibasic was highly commended for her report, Lee Family Deportation Fight, in the Multicultural Affairs and Media category.

ABC reporter Emma D’Agostino (Regional and Rural Journalism) and Four Corners journalist and Monash Arts/Law alumna Louise Milligan (TV/Video Feature) were also highly commended.

Across 31 categories, Monash alumni and students were finalists 17 times.

Monash Head of Journalism Johan Lidberg congratulated “our brilliant Monash journalism alumni and current students”.

“We are incredibly proud that our students and alumni keep winning, being highly commended and making the Quills shortlist year after year,” Associate Professor Lidberg said.

“This is evidence of the high quality of our graduates and the quality of the journalism program at Monash University.

“Congratulations also to the staff in the School of Media, Film and Journalism that teach and mentor our high-achieving students and graduates.”

Two Monash entrants were finalists in the Victorian Student Journalist of the Year – the Herald Sun journalist Chloe Bott and Master of Journalism student Jasmine Silberbauer.

Sasha Gattermayr, from the University of Melbourne, won the student title for her entry, Little club of horrors.