Caroline Jones Award
The Caroline Jones Women in Media Young Journalist’s Award. Supported by Women in Media, the National Press Club of Australia and Bond University.
Honouring the legacy of Caroline Jones
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We deeply mourn the loss of our inaugural co-patron Caroline Jones, but we are honoured to continue one of her proudest legacies – the award which bears her name and which seeks to elevate the importance of reportage by female journalists working across our regions.
Applications for the 2023 Award have now closed and the recipient has been announced.
Women in Media is delighted to announce Charmayne Allison as the winner of the Caroline Jones Women in Media Young Journalist’s Award for 2023.
Charmayne is an ABC reporter currently based in Alice Springs, having spent five years reporting in and around regional Victoria. Her winning portfolio of work focused on Indigenous communities, providing in-depth and nuanced coverage and demonstrating an understanding of the complexities behind the headlines.
2023 winner Charmayne Allison
​The Caroline Jones Women in Media Young Journalist’s Award recognises tenacity and passion for the craft of journalism from young women working across rural and regional Australia.
2022 winner Samantha Jonscher
It seeks to immerse the award winner in an intensive experience of journalism, politics and government in Canberra and to open doors to the experience and generosity of some of the country’s top female journalists.
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The Award includes:
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A $2500 personal learning fund
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Travel and accommodation in Canberra for five nights
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Attend a National Press Club lunch and ask a question
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Mentorship from the members of the Women in Media Canberra committee
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The winner will spend time in a variety of Canberra and Press Gallery newsrooms during the week
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This award seeks to foster commitment and passion for journalism among young women practitioners in rural and regional Australia.
2021 winner Brooke Littlewood asks the first question at the National Press Club. Photo: Karleen Minney.
It is named in honour of Caroline Jones AO, a ground-breaking journalist who joined the ABC in 1963 and became the first female reporter for This Day Tonight. She reported for Four Corners between 1972-1981 before presenting Radio National’s Search for Meaning program. In 1996, Jones became the presenter of Australian Story.
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Caroline was the inaugural national co-patron of Women in Media, a mentoring, networking, and professional development initiative for Australian women in media modelled on a successful group first established in Western Australia in 2005.
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The award is the first of its kind in encouraging young female rural and regional journalists to experience first-hand the complexities of the media and political landscape across the nation’s capital.
Caroline Jones with 2020 award recipient Elly Bradfield. Photo: Supplied.
It is a life-changing, horizon-broadening and immersive prize, exposing the winner to the institutions of Canberra, including the Press Gallery and National Press Club.
It also brings them into contact with the Women in Media network – providing mentorship, guidance, and insights from Canberra’s most prominent female journalists.
“This award is offered as a tribute to the women who, sometimes far from colleagues or mentors, choose to cover regional or remote areas of our country, reporting on local issues which are often of vital national interest,” Jones said.
Caroline Jones and with 2019 recipient Virginia Tapscott at the National Press Club. Photo: Supplied.
“Maybe it’s because I come from the bush; or because my grandfather Ashley Pountney was editor of the first newspapers in north-west NSW, this award is close to my heart.”
Eligibility & Judging Criteria
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The award is presented annually and is open to any female rural and regional journalist working in a non-metropolitan area.
Applicants must be aged up to 30 years and have at least one year of full-time industry experience.
Inaugural winner Eliza Goetze from the Bundaberg News Mail. Photo: Supplied.
Applicants are asked to submit a portfolio of their work across any media platform (television, newspaper, radio, online).
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A minimum of one and a maximum of three stories must demonstrate tenacity and passion for journalism, an adherence to ethical standards, and a contribution to community understanding and discourse on an issue of choice.
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Judges have the discretion to nominate a recipient or to choose not to make the award in any one year.
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Stories may include a single issue or a range of issues, including opinion pieces, features, or news. Submitted work must be the original work of the applicant.
2018 recipient Emily Jane Smith with Virginia Trioli, Caroline Jones, and Emma Macdonald.
How to Enter:
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Entries should include PDF copies of text articles or URL links to recordings of broadcasts on television or radio.
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The submission should include a written statement of up to 500 words outlining the impact of the work, and an expression of the applicant’s approach to her journalism. A brief CV should be included.