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Recognising Australian journalists who have deepened the knowledge, or shaped the discussion, of international policy in Australia.
The winner of the 2025 Lowy Institute Media Award was Sue-Lin Wong for her outstanding work hosting The Economist’s eight-part podcast series, ‘Scam Inc.’, which examines the impact of the sophisticated international industry of online scams.
The other finalists were:
On this year’s judging panel, Dr Fullilove was joined by The Australian journalist Paul Kelly, Nine’s A Current Affair host Allison Langdon, ABC journalist Leigh Sales, and Lowy Institute Board member Mark Ryan.
The annual Lowy Institute Media Award recognises Australian journalists who have deepened the knowledge, or shaped the discussion, of international policy issues in our country.
One of the long-standing objectives of the Lowy Institute is to deepen and enrich the discussion of international policy in Australia. We pursue that aim in a variety of ways: through our research, our events and conferences, and our engagement with policymakers, business people, academia, media and the broader community.
We recognise that a lively and sophisticated discussion of the key global issues affecting Australia’s future requires a broad range of contributors. One of the most important of these is the Australian media.
At a time when the media industry is going through a period of great change and uncertainty, we believe it is vital that Australian journalists continue to report and comment on events in the world that impact on Australia. It is for this reason that we have decided to establish this media award.
The Lowy Institute Media Award will be given to an Australian journalist or journalistic team who either through a single piece of reporting or commentary, or through a series of reports, has deepened the knowledge, or shaped the discussion, of international policy issues in Australia in the course of the last year.
A panel of eminent judges will nominate candidates whose work over the last twelve months they feel best meets the award criteria, specifically:
The winner of the 2024 Lowy Institute Media Award was Ben Packham from The Australian for his work as foreign affairs and defence correspondent, focusing on Australia’s defence industry and capabilities.
The other two finalists for the 2024 Lowy Institute Media Award were:
On this year’s judging panel, the Institute’s Executive Director, Dr Michael Fullilove AM, was joined by The Age journalist Jewel Topsfield, ABC journalist and foreign correspondent Natalie Whiting, The Australian’s Managing Editor Helen Trinca, and Lowy Institute Board member Mark Ryan.
The winners of the 2023 Lowy Institute Media Award were Kate Geraghty and Anthony Galloway for their work reporting on the conflict in Ukraine across two series of articles for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
The other finalists were:
On this year’s judging panel were broadcaster and journalist Fran Kelly, Australia correspondent for The Washington Post Michael Miller, former journalist and Australian British Chamber of Commerce CEO Ticky Fullerton and Lowy Institute Board member Mark Ryan, as well as Dr Michael Fullilove.
Rio Tinto sponsored the 2023 Lowy Institute Media Award Dinner.
The winner of the 2022 Lowy Institute Media Award was the podcast series “An Impossible Choice”, produced for Guardian Australia’s Pacific Project by Kate Lyons, Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, Jessica Bineth, Laura Brierley Newton and Jon Tjhia.
The other finalists were:
Rio Tinto sponsored the 2022 Lowy Institute Media Award Dinner.
The winner of the 2021 Lowy Institute Media Award was Amanda Hodge, the Southeast Asia Correspondent for The Australian for a series of stories covering Myanmar, India, Indonesia and Afghanistan. She was awarded a cash prize of $20,000 as well as the Lowy Institute Media Award trophy, created by Dinosaur Designs.
The other finalists were:
Due to travel restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Institute did not hold a Media Award Dinner, but instead hosted an online presentation featuring the 2021 Lowy Institute Media Lecture, given by Yalda Hakim.
The Media Lecture was presented with the support of Rio Tinto as sponsor.
The winners of the 2020 Media Award were Sophie McNeill, Echo Hui and Jeanavive McGregor for their ABC Four Corners episodes ‘Rebellion’ and ‘Tell the World’, about Hong Kong’s fight for democracy and China’s treatment of its Uyghur population.
They were awarded a cash prize of $20,000 as well as the Lowy Institute Media Award trophy, created by Dinosaur Designs.
The other finalists were:
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute did not hold a Media Award Dinner in 2020. Instead, the Institute broadcast an online video presentation featuring the finalists and their work, plus an in-conversation between Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove and The Hon Peter Costello, Chairman of Nine Entertainment Co and former Treasurer of Australia.
We are pleased to recognise Rio Tinto’s sponsorship of the 2020 Lowy Institute Media Award Presentation.
The winners of the 2019 Media Award were Nick McKenzie and Sashka Koloff for their Four Corners episode ‘Interference’ - a joint investigation with ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. The episode looks at China's covert political influence campaign in Australia.
They were awarded a cash prize of $20,000 as well as the Lowy Institute Media Award trophy, created by Dinosaur Designs.
The other finalists were:
The 2019 Media Lecturer was Ita Buttrose AC OBE, Chair of the ABC.
We are pleased to recognise Rio Tinto’s sponsorship of the 2019 Lowy Institute Media Award Dinner.
The winner of the 2018 Media Award was Evan Williams, who won the award for his SBS Dateline episode ‘Myanmar’s Killing Fields’, which documents the mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar. Williams was awarded a cash prize of $20,000 as well as the Lowy Institute Media Award trophy, created by Dinosaur Designs.
Along with Williams, the finalists for the 2018 Lowy Institute Media Award were as follows:
The keynote speaker was Susan Glasser, columnist for The New Yorker and a global affairs analyst for CNN. After her lecture, Glasser was joined by her husband Peter Baker, Chief Washington Correspondent for The New York Times, for a Q&A session with Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove. Presenting the award was veteran ABC Pacific Correspondent, Sean Dorney.
We are pleased to recognise UBS and Rio Tinto’s sponsorship of the 2018 Lowy Institute Media Award Dinner.
The winner of the 2017 Media Award was Matt Brown, Middle East Correspondent for the ABC, who won the award for his coverage of the military campaign to against Islamic State in Iraq, and in particular the battle to recapture Mosul. Brown was awarded a cash prize of $20,000 as well as the Lowy Institute Media Award trophy, created by Dinosaur Designs.
Along with Brown, the finalists for the 2017 Lowy Institute Media Award were as follows:
New York Times columnist Bret Stephens delivered the keynote speech at the 2017 Lowy Institute Media Award dinner.
Read New York Times columnist Bret Stephens’s keynote speech, on the dying art of disagreement, delivered at the 2017 Lowy Institute Media Award dinner on 23 September 2017.
The 2016 Lowy Institute Media Award was won by Jewel Topsfield for her reporting on Indonesia and the bilateral relationship with Australia in the aftermath of the execution of several Australians in Indonesia and the cash-for-turnbacks allegations.
Topsfield, the Indonesia correspondent for Fairfax Media, was awarded a $20,000 cash prize as well as a Lowy Institute Media Award trophy, created by Dinosaur Designs. The other finalists were:
The keynote address on the night of the Award was delivered by ABC Managing Director Michelle Guthrie.
We are pleased to recognise IAG’s sponsorship of the 2016 Lowy Institute Media Award Dinner.
The 2015 Lowy Institute Media Award was won by Paul Maley for his coverage of Australian foreign fighters.
Maley, who is National Security Editor at The Australian, was awarded a $20,000 cash prize as well as a Lowy Institute Media Award trophy, created by Dinosaur Designs.
Other finalists were:
The keynote address was delivered by Robert Thomson, chief executive of News Corp. Thomson has served as editor-in-chief of Dow Jones, managing editor of the Wall Street Journal and editor of The Times. He has held several posts at the Financial Times, including Editor of the US edition, Editor of the Weekend FT and Assistant Editor. He has also been a correspondent himself in Tokyo and in Beijing. Thomson began his career as a journalist in 1979 with The Herald.
We are pleased to recognise IAG’s sponsorship of the 2015 Lowy Institute Media Award Dinner.
On 12 August, the 2014 Lowy Institute Media Award was given to Hayden Cooper for his ABC Foreign Correspondent report on the trial of Australian Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste.
The keynote address at the award ceremony was delivered by The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP.
Other finalists selected by the judges were Amanda Hodge (News Corp, The Australian) for her coverage of the Indian elections and Indian sexual violence, Christopher Joye (Fairfax, Australian Financial Review) for his coverage of intelligence and spying issues, Michael Bachelard (Fairfax, Sydney Morning Herald) for his coverage of the Indonesian elections and Michael Edwards for his coverage of the polio epidemic in Pakistan (ABC, Foreign Correspondent).
The judging panel for the 2014 Lowy Institute Media Award winner included: former Australian minister and Ambassador Amanda Vanstone, Gold Walkley Award winning investigative journalist and author Chris Masters, former ABC foreign correspondent Jane Hutcheon, Lowy Institute Board Director Mark Ryan and Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove. Media Award trophy kindly donated by Dinosaur Designs.
On 26 September 2013, the inaugural Lowy Institute Media Award was given to Fairfax’s John Garnaut by a panel of eminent judges including multi award-winning journalists Jana Wendt and Max Uechtritz, Lowy Institute Board Director Mark Ryan, former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove.
The keynote address for the ceremony was delivered by Nick Warner AP PSM, Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service. Warner made a speech in tribute to his late father, distinguished war correspondent Denis Warner OBE CMG. The Lowy Institute intends to honour past Australian foreign correspondents such as Denis Warner at each year’s Award ceremony. The Media Award trophy kindly donated by Dinosaur Designs.
The other finalists for the 2013 award were Jo Chandler from The Global Mail, Rowan Callick from The Australian and Trevor Bormann from the ABC.