TWO beautiful images captured by Journal photographers were awarded top prizes at the annual Community Newspapers of Australia awards.
The southern division awards recognise community newspaper excellence in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.
Stewart Chamber’s photograph, taken at Heritage Hill’s Illuminated Voices exhibition, won best feature photo.
Judges said the photograph represented a “striking representation of a mother’s worries“.
“I feel we are peering into her inner thoughts. This is interesting and creatively done leaving a lot for the viewer to discover. It uplifts humanity in a way that makes us think.“
Rob Carew won best news photo for an image of a returned serviceman placing a poppy at the Noble Park cenotaph.
“Love and devotion could well sum up this picture of a blind man placing a poppy at a suburban remembrance service while his seeing-eye dog stands at his side watching his every movement.
“It is a really beautiful image.“
Journal business writer Casey Neill picked up the award for best special publication for her coverage of the Premier Regional Business Awards.
Judges said the supplement took a “deep dive to really try and understand what makes the best businesses in the region tick“.
Journal editor Narelle Coulter’s open letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbott won best editorial.
The letter was published on the front page in August to launch the Journal’s Give Us a Hand campaign, which highlighted the need for more resources to support asylum seekers and refugees in Greater Dandenong.
The awards were held on Friday 19 June at the River’s Edge function centre in Melbourne.
