A spectacular night at Sydney's Ivy Ballroom saw excellence in news media publishing recognised in the 2016 PANPA Newspaper of the Year Awards dinner.

Traditional rivalry saw Paul Whittaker of top Newspaper of the Year winner The Australian (News Corp Australia) complaining that it had been a Fairfax Media benefit night, and comperes from TV's The Checkout remarking that all the awards at the recent News awards had been won by... News Corp. Which suggests the share-out may have been pretty even.

In all, prizes in six categories were presented at an event attended by more than 400 guests. Entries came national, metropolitan, regional, rural and community news media brands in Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Asia.

"Our news media brands are among the best in the world and this year's award winners were no exception," says Mark Hollands, chief executive of organisers NewsMediaWorks. "Our judges overwhelmingly remarked on the high quality of influential journalism and the diversity of entertaining, provocative and often courageous ways in which news media is engaging audiences."

Winners were:

NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

Community

Manly Daily - News Corp Australia

Regional

Newcastle Herald - Fairfax Media

National/Metropolitan

The Australian - News Corp Australia

WEEKEND NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

AFR Weekend - Fairfax Media

NON-DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

Community

Mandurah Mail - Fairfax Media

Regional

The Land - Fairfax Media

DIGITAL NEWS SITE OF THE YEAR

Community

The Maitland Mercury www.maitlandmercury.com.au

Regional

Newcastle Herald www.herald.com.au

National / Metropolitan

The Sydney Morning Herald www.smh.com.au

​P​HOTOGRAPHY

PORTRAIT

Community

Smoking Actor - Jon Hewson, Fremantle Gazette

Regional

Playing in Ash - Wesley Monts, Townsville Bulletin

National / Metropolitan

Ahmed Kelly - Alexander Coppel, Herald Sun

FEATURES AND LIFESTYLE

Community

High Fliers - Sitthixay Ditthavong, Riverine Herald

Regional

Nudist Nomads... No Tan Lines Here - Elise Derwin, NT News

National / Metropolitan

Stories of Hope - Jason Edwards, Herald Sun

SPORT

Community

Title Defence - Braden Fastier, Manly Daily

Regional

White Water Wonder - Jon Gellweiler, South Western Times

National / Metropolitan

Fernando Alonso's Exit - Alexander Coppel, Herald Sun

NEWS

Community

The Crop - Braden Fastier, Manly Daily

Regional

Pot of Gold - Glenn Hampson, Gold Coast Bulletin

National / Metropolitan

Storm Front on Bondi Beach - Rohan Kelly, The Daily Telegraph

ENVIRONMENT

Sydney Print Centre, News Corp Australia - Zero Waste Program

TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE

SINGLE-WIDTH

Community

Sharp Daily, Taiwan

Regional

Apple Daily Publications - Apple Daily, Taiwan

National / Metropolitan

Apple Daily, Hong Kong

DOUBLE-WIDTH

Community

Ormiston Print Centre, Fairfax Media - World News Weekly

Regional

Yandina Print Centre, APN News & Media - Gympie Times

National / Metropolitan

Chullora Print Centre, News Corp Australia - The Daily Telegraph

PRE-PRINT OR SUPPLEMENT - (OPEN)

Darwin Print Centre, News Corp Australia - Off the Leash (NT News)

PRINT CENTRE OF THE YEAR

Yandina Print Centre, APN News & Media

HEGARTY SCHOLARSHIP

Erik Jensen - The Saturday Paper

DIGITAL

Best Mobile Site or App (Open)

AFR iPad app - The Australian Financial Review, Fairfax Media

Best Niche / Specialty App or Microsite (Open)

The Big Sleep - theage.com.au, Fairfax Media

Digital Publishing Innovation of the Year (Open)

AFR Innovation Surver - The Australian Financial Review, Fairfax Media.

Judges for the 2016 PANPAs

David Murphy, Karyn Krawford, David Hovenden, Mary Ann Azer, Andy Moger, Kellie Northwood, Tim Burrowes, Paul Coles, Paul Dovas, Ed Efchak, Andrew Tyndall, Laurie Geddes, Gavin Ellis, Brian Hill, Susan Bredow, Mark Jones, Malcolm Alder, Mark Kennedy, Mark Dadswell, Martin Lane, Mark Challinor, Ava Lawler, David Leeson, Daniel Littlepage, Samuel North, Adrianne Nixon, Nate Cochrane, Michael Rose, Peter Cornelius, Jane Schulze, Craig Sillitoe, Mark Sharman, Cheryl Stanion, John Steedman, John Hancock, Michael Van Wyk, Darren Burden, Simon Wake, Christopher Pash, David Krug, Mark Furness, Herbert Kieleithner, Hugh Martin, Georgie Charlish, Claudia Sagripanti, Mechthild Schimpf, Doug Wills, Hugh Gibson, Damien Munday, Dave Petschack, Tony Gillies, Steve Davis, Peter Fray, Roger Coombs, Rick Neville, John Pender, Jane Nicholls, Eva Rinaldi, Phillip Campbell, Steve Packham, David Roles, Peter Coleman, Peter Clark, Jon Reid.

Pictured: Eugene Betzel of News Corp Australia's Darwin Print Centre (not Cairns as the awards says) won the technical award for a preprint or supplement

On our homepage: Going through hoops - part of the entertainment at the Newspaper of the Year dinner