Age crime reporter John Silvester named Australia’s most outstanding columnist

John Silvester has been named the most outstanding columnist in Australia at the Kennedy Awards, one of six Age and Sydney Morning Herald journalists and artists to receive gongs at this year’s awards.

A Melbourne crime reporter for The Age for more than 30 years, Silvester was recognised for his popular Naked City column at the ceremony in Sydney on Friday night.

Age cartoonist Matt Golding won the outstanding cartoon category for his work Playing Trump.

Cartoons in The Age dominated the awards, with Megan Herbert (Limited Campaign) and Cathy Wilcox (Middle East Mess) named finalists in the category alongside Golding.

Good Weekend senior writer Jane Cadzow won in the outstanding feature writing category for her profile of billionaire Anthony Pratt and an examination of his extraordinary influence, ” In the box seat “.

“John Silvester’s columns have long shaped how Melburnians think about crime in their city,” Age editor Patrick Elligett said.

“His knowledge of the history and characters on both sides of the fight against crime adds colour to a world that would otherwise remain a mystery to most.”

SMH photographer Edwina Pickles took out the outstanding news photography category for her photos taken in the aftermath of the Bondi Beach terror attack in December.

Herald sports reporter Chris Barrett secured the outstanding sports category for his report into a top NRL referee’s $400,000 gambling problem, and editor Michael Ruffles won the outstanding three headlines award.

Edmund Tadros and Hannah Wootton of The Australian Financial Review were named journalists of the year for the KPMG audit leaks story.

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald received 21 finalist nominations in this year’s Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism.

The awards are named in honour of the late Herald crime reporter Les Kennedy. Kennedy Foundation chairperson Carl Dumbrell said the foundation was proud to support Australian journalism, which was essential to “an informed and vital democracy”.