Entries for the prestigious Sport Australia Media Awards are now open, recognising excellence in Australian sports journalism, broadcasting, production and photography.
The Sport Australia Media Awards has 12 diverse award categories and online nominations can be made from now until Monday 2 November 2020 at sportausmediaawards.awardsplatform.com
The awards are in their 19th year and continue to evolve. Given the enormous challenges of 2020, Sport Australia has introduced a new award to recognise innovation in sports media.
Sport Australia Acting CEO Rob Dalton said the Innovation in Sports Media Award acknowledged the important role media plays in engaging new participants and audiences in sport.
"It's hard to imagine a more challenging year than we have faced in 2020, but we know sport can play an incredibly important role in lifting the nation's energy and spirits," Mr Dalton said.
"Sporting competitions from grassroots to global events have been put on pause at times this year, but we've seen fantastic examples of media being resourceful and innovative to help maintain an engagement with sport.
"This new award recognises the valuable role the media plays in continuing to innovate and connect Australians with sport. We want to improve sporting experiences for all, including our participants, volunteers and fans.
"We are pushing on with the Sport Australia Media Awards this year because we acknowledge the critical role of Australia's media industry in telling sport's most unique, influential and inspirational stories."
Finalists in the 2020 Sport Australia Media Awards will be notified in December and winners announced in February 2021. Sport Australia is preparing to go ahead with a gala awards ceremony if possible, but will notify finalists and guests in due course.
The Sport Australia Media Awards will again honour a new Lifetime Achievement recipient - last year awarded to ABC broadcaster Karen Tighe.
All entries for this year's awards must have been published during the qualifying period, from 18 October 2019 to 30 October 2020.
Award categories available for nomination are:
- Best reporting of an issue in sport
- Best sport profile - broadcast
- Best sport coverage by an individual - video
- Innovation in sports media
- Best sport coverage by an individual - written
- Best coverage of sport for people with disability
- Best sport coverage by an individual - audio
- Best depiction of inclusive sport
- Best coverage of a sporting event
- Best coverage of a community sport issue - rural & regional media
- Best sport profile - written
- Best sports photography
