UTS journalism student Yasmine Alwakal has been named the Student Journalist of the Year at the Kennedy Awards, one of the leading industry nights for the profession.
At a star-studded bash at the Royal Randwick Racecourse ball room Alwakal won for a body of work that included investigations into young Australians’ debt burden, the costly health bills associated with menstruation-related illness and a photo-journalism piece on a man dealing with Alzheimers.
The 20-year-old third-year student pipped fellow UTS student Jonathan Weitz-Freeman and University of Queensland’s Chloe Bell to the award, which was introduced at last year’s Kennedys, where UTS also had two students nominated.
“As an emerging journalist, it was inspiring to be surrounded by so many industry-leading professionals at the awards ceremony on Friday night,” Alwakal said.
“To be recognised alongside such a high calibre of nominees is an exciting start to my career. I am very grateful to the University of Technology Sydney and my many mentors for their support.”
Yasmine… combines creativity and an eye for visuals with rock solid reporting.
The Kennedy Awards, named after legendary Indigenous crime reporter Les Kennedy, started in 2012 and has quickly become a leading industry event, rivalling the Walkleys — Australia’s premier journalism awards.
In June UTS student Pamela Rontziokis was named Student Journalist of the Year by the Walkley Foundation at their annual Mid-Year event. And, Weitz-Freeman, who was nominated at the Kennedys for an animal rights investigation, had previously won the Democracy’s Watchdogs Award in December for the same story.
“Yasmine’s an excellent student, who combines creativity and an eye for visuals with rock solid reporting,” said Central News editor Martin Newman.
“We’re very happy for her winning this award, which is a major accomplishment and will be noticed by the industry. Yasmine and Jonathan both had outstanding entries and are a credit to the university.”
All the award-winners at Friday night’s gala. Photo: Central News.
The awards night was attended by over 400 journalists, photographers, videographers and cartoonists from across the industry, and hosted by SBS & NITV presenters Natalie Ahmat and Janice Petersen.
The ABC’s Global Affairs Editor John Lyons picked up the Kennedys top award, Journalist of the Year, for his “brave, impartial and incisive” reporting on the Middle East, while veteran newswoman Tracy Grimshaw was given the Lifetime Achievement Award. Ellie Dudley of The Australian was named Young Journalist of the Year.
UTS’s head of journalism, Professor Saba Bebawi, said: “Yasmine’s success at the Kennedy Awards for best student journalism is a testament to the high quality work our UTS journalism students produce.
“I would like to also congratulate Jonathan on being runner-up. We were proud on the night and hope this is the start of a glowing career for them both.”
Main photo of Yasmine Alwakal by Central News.
