"Above all, our News Awards are about recognising good journalism, a quality which is as essential to our newer platforms as it is our established print products. "

Caroline Overington, The Australian

whose investigations exposed that the Australian Wheat Board had paid almost $300 million of kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's government in Iraq, making them the single biggest source of illicit cash to the regime.

Although the Federal Government dismissed her as a ridiculous and hysterical liar, Caroline continued to break more than 100 stories on the
scandal, which led to a Royal Commission, severely embarrassed the government and wiped 6o per cent off the value of AWB shares this year, jeopardising their monopoly on our wheat exports.

Caroline was formerly a New York correspondent who caused a publishing storm two years ago when she exposed the best-selling author Norma Khoury
as a hoax who fabricated her memoir Forbidden Love.

She is writing a book about the AWB scandal and is the mother of young twins.

Herald Sun

The Herald Sun is chosen by 1.5 m Victorians as their main source of news as well as the latest on sport, business and lifestyle - a position of strength it has held over its media rivals for years. However, it has been in news breaking and campaigning journalism that the Herald Sun has really stood out in the past 12 months. It also enriched its strong community involvement with the launch of what instantly became Victoria's biggest fun run, raising more than $400,000 for the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal.

The 10 staff of the Innisfail Advocate

who overcame the flooding and partial destruction of their offices, as well ignoring the threat to their own homes, during Cyclone Larry to make sure the next day's paper and subsequent editions still got out.

And with them, Peter Bull, the production manager of the Townsville Bulletin, who packed his own generator onto a ute and drove three hours through blocked and flooded roads to Innisfail, where he helped get the Advocate back on its feet.

Glenn Milne, Group Sundays,

for his exclusive report on a meeting between John Howard and Peter Costello at which Howard undertook to step aside after one or two terms in return for Costello's support for his leadership.

Sharri Markson, The Sunday Telegraph

Sharri won News Limited's Young Journalist of the Year in 2004 and has since gone on to dig up countless exclusives. Last year she was the first journalist to get interviews with Australian victims of the 7/7 bombings in London, breaking her holiday in Spain to race to the scene. Still only 22, her entry included an exclusive interview with the man who rescued the trapped Beaconsfield miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb.

Laurie Nowell, Suellen Hinde, Mary Papadakis and Robyn Riley, Sunday Herald Sun

for their relentless but ultimately successful campaign to persuade the Federal Government to make the life-saving breast cancer drug Herceptin more freely available not just to women suffering the late stages of the disease, but also to those more recently diagnosed.

Paul Whittaker, The Australian,

for his motivation and ideas in directing the paper's discovery of alleged war criminals living in Australia.

Mark Whittaker, The Weekend Australian Magazine,

for his exceptional ability to combine a relaxed style with hard-nosed reporting techniques to produce features that are deeply researched, fascinating, and beautifully written. His profile of Port Arthur killer Martin Bryant on the 10th anniversary of the massacre, and his report on bird flu were great examples of his skill.

Josh Massoud, The Daily Telegraph,

for breaking a series of hard-hitting news stories about sport, including Russell Crowe's battle for control of the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Josh also scored a brilliant exclusive when he tracked down the 1974 Socceroos captain Peter Wilson, who had eluded other journalists for years.

Blair Speedy, The Australian,

for his range of news, features and profiles which skilfully translate complex industry issues into stories which reach and engage readers who are not usually keen on business, in particular his series on the perils caused by a glut in the wine industry.

Geoff Wilkinson, Herald Sun,

for a body of investigative work on crime, including an exclusive report on a decision not to release notorious Victorian sex offender Robin Fletcher after the expiry of his maximum sentence.

Shaun Viljoen, Geelong Advertiser,

for a series of witty heads, including "I only have fries for you" about a couple's bid to marry at McDonald's.

David Caird, Herald Sun,

for a portfolio that includes a grieving Joe Korp lighting a candle to commemorate the death of his wife, over which he faced charges.

Craig Greenhill, The Daily Telegraph, whose dramatic photograph of a fight between youths on a train fully captured the intensity and hatred of the Cronulla race riots.

Simon Schneider, Herald Sun, who has developed a unique style of caricature that is both technically superb and full of dramatic impact. Simon's caricatures are always recognisable, while his attention to detail adds delightful humour, providing another story within the image.

Vinnie Taylor, The Daily Telegraph,

for helping recreate and update several key sections, including the electronics lift-out Connect, the sports section The Main Game and the features section Inside Edition.

Paul Colgan, Fay Gould, and the news.com.au team

for their rich, expansive coverage of the Beaconsfield mine rescue,
covering developments around the clock with news, pictures and
streaming live video as the events unfolded.