2008 Telstra BigPond Rural Media
awards announced
South Australia's top rural journalists and photographers for 2008 were recognised today with the announcement of the Telstra BigPond Rural Media Awards.
ABC TV Landline journalist Prue Adams and Advertiser photographer Tait Schmaal are the 2008 Telstra BigPond Rural Media Journalist and Photographer of the Year. The presentation function was hosted by Rural Media SA (RMSA) at the Royal Adelaide Showground.
Prize money and trophies exceeding $5,000, were awarded to the recipients by Executive Director, Telstra Country Wide Central, Danny Honan.
"The importance of these awards cannot be understated, especially the role rural journalists and photographers play in bringing rural issues of state wide importance to the attention of all South Australians," Mr Honan said.
"The awards recognise the commitment and quality of work reporting rural issues. Telstra is proud to play a part in providing recognition for all rural journalists and photographers to continue this important work," Mr Honan said.
RMSA President Ian Doyle thanked Telstra BigPond for their significant support for the past 13 years and also recognised Primary Industries SA, Porter Novelli SA and the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society for their valuable supporting sponsorship. Entrants submitted a portfolio of work, published or broadcast in the 12 months to October 31st 2008.
"There was a strong metropolitan component in the entries this year which included a record number of journalists and solid entries were also received for both the Best Adelaide Show Story and Photograph. This is a reflection of the awareness that issues including the ongoing drought, fires and water have on the wider community.
"The judges had a very difficult task in separating the winners from a large field of very high standard entries, including some very good regional contributors from smaller or less resourced media outlets," Mr Doyle said.
2008 Telstra BigPond Rural Media Journalist of the Year Awards
1st Prue Adams, ABC Television
2nd Kerry Staight, ABC Television
3rd Nigel Austin, The Advertiser
Highly Commended
Rosemary Cock, Yorke Peninsula Country Times
Elysse Morgan, ABC Rural Radio
Miranda Kenny, Stock Journal
Pia Akerman, The Australian
About the winner:
2008 SA Rural Journalist of the Year Prue Adams won the award in 1997 and has also been runner-up in two other years, 2004 and 2007. Prue's stories on ABC's Landline exhibited excellence in television journalism, displaying an extremely high level of sophistication in relaying complex issues with a multitude of dimensions. This was especially evident in her 30-minute story Water Crisis, a genuine achievement in a very competitive field where high profile journalists compete for airtime. Prue has often led public opinion, picking up on issues well before they achieve profile elsewhere. In doing so she provided viewers with depth of issues and an understanding of relevance, from both a local and national perspective.
2008 Telstra BigPond Rural Photographer of the Year Award
1st Tait Schmaal, The Advertiser
2nd Kelly Barnes, The Australian
3rd Brenton Edwards, The Advertiser
About the winner:
Tait Schmaal from The Advertiser previously won the Award in 2006. His portfolio of work displayed outstanding compositions and technical excellence. All three of Tait's photographs, titled Waiting for the gift of rain, Full swing and Red-eye illusion, showed great variation in content while demonstrating his unique and gifted photographic style.
2008 Best Adelaide Show Story Award
Winner - Elysse Morgan, ABC Rural Radio
Highly Commended - Andrea Nicolas, Seven Network
About the winner:
Elysse Morgan is from the Rural Department of ABC Radio. Her entry Junior Pig Parade took a very positive and in-depth look at the importance and development of herdsmanship excellence in the pig arena.
2008 Best Adelaide Show Photograph Award
Winner - Alice Prokopec, The Advertiser
About the winner:
Alice joined The Advertiser in August 2007 after starting as a freelance photographer with the Murray Pioneer in the Riverland where she was raised. The photo features a little girl with a new breed of cattle at this year's Adelaide Show The Square Meaters brilliantly captured the action, animation and fun of the subject.
Former SA rural reporter in world hot spots
 Former ABC Rural Radio reporter and local Port Broughton girl, Sally Sara has been on the spot as the ABC's South Asia correspondent, covering the recent terrorist attacks on hotels in the Indian city of Mumbai.
Having started her career in regional radio following a Bachelor of Arts (Communication) from the University of South Australia, Sally worked for ABC Rural Radio in Renmark, Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra.
Her international journalism career commenced as the ABC's Africa Correspondent from 2000 to 2005. She has also reported from the hot-spots of Jakarta, the Middle East and London during the 2005 London Bombings.
When she addressed the RMSA Royal Show Breakfast in 2006, Sally had just returned from reporting in war torn Lebanon.
Sally won three awards in the Dalgety Awards for Excellence in Rural Journalism in 1993, followed in 1997 by awards as South Australian Young Journalist of the Year and RMSA Telstra Rural Journalist of the Year.
She is the author of the book Gogo Mama, the diverse stories of 12 women from different African countries.
From her beginnings as a local reporter for ABC Rural Radio, Sally Sara has now become a world renowned Foreign Correspondent using her South Australian journalism skills to cover some of the world's most hostile war zones.
Upcoming meetings and events
Rural Media South Australia aims to provide a genuine focus for rural issues, combined with a forum for networking between the highest levels of agribusiness, government, media and rural producers.
Members and guests are encouraged to note the following dates in their diaries:
2009
  February 10
Water
Hon Karlene Maywald MP
Minister of Water Resources
Luncheon - 12 noon for 12.30 pm
 March 25
Irrigated Horticulture - The Current Dilemma
Tim Whetstone
Chairman, SA Murray Irrigators
Luncheon - 12 noon for 12.30 pm
September 10
Royal Show Breakfast
(Members' Banquet Room - Adelaide Showground)
Breakfast - 7.00 am for 7.30 am
December 11
Telstra BigPond Rural Media Awards
RMSA Christmas Function
(Members' Banquet Room - Adelaide Showground)
Luncheon - 12.00 noon for 12.30 pm
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