Weekly Times newspaper reporter Peter Hemphill will fly around the world this year courtesy of Qantas and AWB Limited after being awarded the National Award for Excellence in Grain Reporting. OutgoingAWB Limited Chief Executive Officer, Mr Murray Rogers presented Mr Hemphill with the award and said his entry in the competition was judged to be a superior example of agricultural reporting which enhanced the media coverage of the grains industry in Australia.

Mr Hemphill’s winning report was judged on its newsworthiness, originality, research and technical skill and judges said it stood ‘head and shoulders’ above other examples of grain reporting in Australia” Mr Rogers said.

His entry – entitled “Shares Grab” and “Investment Merger Winners” was a perfect example of what we set out to achieve with this competition, to encourage a high standard of reporting in the grains industry and to help make the grains industry a mainstream media issue”.

Mr Hemphill has won the Qantas sponsored prize of an international study tour, flying business class with Qantas to Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia visiting Australia’s grain industry competitors and customers.

After awarding Mr Hemphill first prize, Mr Rogers also presented a commendation prize of $1,000 and a commemorative gold pen to finalists Cathy Bolt of the Australian Financial Review and Anne Lloyd of Rural Press.

Mr Rogers said AWB Limited initiated the National Award for Excellence in Grain Reporting to foster strong, vigorous and accurate reporting of the Australian grains industry and to move the industry from being a regional or rural issue to a mainstream matter.

“The industry has suffered in the past from only making news during boom or bust times”, Mr Rogers said. “AWB Limited aims to give journalists an incentive to take a serious look at Australia’s grains industry by offering the award each year”.

The judging panel said it was impressed by the variety of entries in the competition and the enthusiasm of Australia’s agricultural reporters, but hoped that next year’s competition would attract more interest from the electronic media.

For more information please contact: Katrina Glenny, AWB Limited Corporate Affairs (03) 9525 2219