In a long night of PANPA awards, the finale of the Future Forum somehow belonged to Julian Clarke, who retires from News Corp Australia for a second time at the end of the year.

The "speed painting" of the group chief executive by Brad Blaze was billed as a half-time entertainment, and one wondered whether even his own mother would have recognised the outcome. But no matter: Clarke professed to like it and "bought" the painting with a $10,000 donation to a suicide prevention charity, an offer Fairfax chief executive Greg Hywood reportedly declined to top.

More than 400 guests were at the Sydney Hilton on Friday night to hear the pick of 700 - including "numerous" entries from the wider Asia-Pacific region - covering print and digital newspaper publishing, photography, publishing innovation and print and production.

After the showpiece weekend and metro Newspaper of the Year awards - which went to The Weekend Australian and the New Zealand Herald - attention turned to Fairfax Media's Newcastle outpost, currently stressed under the impact of staffing cuts but nonetheless able to deliver the country's best regional daily (the Newcastle Herald) and news site (www.herald.com.au). The Maitland Mercury also won the community category for (www.maitlandmercury.com.au)

Further north, there was kudos too for APN News & Media's Australian regional business, the Gympie Times named best community daily, and the Yandina, Queensland, print site which produces it and four other dailies, print centre of the year.

The very busy Yandina site also prints the (Grafton) Daily Examiner, (Lismore) Northern Star, Fraser Coast Chronicle and Sunshine Coast Daily, plus numerous other weekly and biweekly titles and their heatset and coldset components. Print centre manager Greg Carson says it's all down to the culture and the people: "Without that, all you have is a lot of heavy metal."

Mark Hollands, chief executive of organiser The Newspaper Works says judges remarked on the high quality of journalism and the diversity of entertaining, provocative and often courageous ways in which newspaper media is engaging audiences: "This ability to authoritatively connect, inform and entertain has never been more important at a time when audiences have limitless choice in content and means of accessing it."

Winners were:

NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

Daily Newspaper of the Year

Community

The Gympie Times - APN News & Media

Regional

Newcastle Herald - Fairfax Media

National/Metropolitan

The New Zealand Herald - NZME.

Weekend Newspaper of the Year (OPEN)

The Weekend Australian - News Corp Australia

Non-daily Newspaper of the Year

Community

The City - Messenger Newspapers

Regional

Queensland Country Life - Fairfax Media

PHOTOGRAPHY

Portrait

Community

Dean Finlay - Jon Hewson, Mandurah Coastal Times

Regional

Beauty Redefined - Sylvia Liber, Illawarra Mercury

National / Metropolitan

Adam Houda - Nicolas Walker, Good Weekend Magazine, Fairfax Media

Features and Lifestyle

Community

The Giants - Andrew Ritchie, Western Suburbs Weekly, Community Newspaper Group

Regional

Fields Of Fire - Adam Hourigan, Daily Examiner

National / Metropolitan

Legends of the Small Screen - David Caird, News Corp Australia (Sunday Herald Sun, Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mail)

Sport

Community

Jessica Whiting - Jon Hewson, Mandurah Coastal Times

Regional

Dive - Stephen Parker, Rotorua Daily Post

National / Metropolitan

Blue Water Classic - Sydney Hobart Race 2014 - Brett Costello, Daily Telegraph

News

Community

Dramatic Water Rescue - Simon Maude, North Shore Times, New Zealand

Regional

How do you tell him? - Glenn Hampson, Gold Coast Bulletin

National / Metropolitan (TIE)

Dramatic Water Rescue - Simon Maude, stuff.co.nz and

Sydney's Sea of Love - Toby Zerna, Courier-Mail and dailytelegraph.com.au

ENVIRONMENT (OPEN)

1-Degree's Recycling Expo - News Corp Australia

TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE

Single-width

Community

Sharp Daily (Taiwan) - Apple Daily Publications

Regional

Herdsman Print Centre - Harvey-Waroona Reporter, West Australian Newspapers

National / Metropolitan

Apple Daily (Hong Kong) - Apple Daily Publications

Double-width

Community

Frankston Times - Border Mail Print Centre, Albury, Fairfax Media

Regional

Illawarra Mercury - Canberra Print & Distribution Centre, Fairfax Media

National / Metropolitan

South China Morning Post, Hong Kong

Pre-print or Supplement (OPEN)

Lifestyles of the 50+ - Tamworth Print Centre, Fairfax Media

Print Centre of the Year (OPEN)

Yandina Print Centre, APN News & Media

DIGITAL

Best Mobile Site/App (OPEN)

The Age iPad App - The Age

Best Niche / Specialty App or Microsite (OPEN) 


#SnapSydney - NewsLocal, News Corp Australia

Innovation of the Year (OPEN)

Story of Gallipoli - The Age, Fairfax Media

News Site of the Year

Community

The Maitland Mercury (www.maitlandmercury.com.au)

Regional

Newcastle Herald (www.herald.com.au)

National / Metropolitan

The Advertiser, Adelaide (www.advertiser.com.au)

HEGARTY INDUSTRY SCHOLARSHIP

Best Young Executive Under 35

Jared Savage - The New Zealand Herald, NZME.

Judges for the 2015 awards were Kellie Northwood, Emelio Robles, Daniel Littlepage, Peter Cornelius, Sam North, Darren Burden, Stu Cameron, Miguel D'Souza, Nate Cochrane, Ed Efchak, David Murphy, Mark Challinor, Karyn Krawford, Foad Fadaghi, David Hovenden, Jon Reid, Susan Bredow, Simon Sharwood, Damien Munday, Helena Daley, Rochelle Burbury, Eva Rinaldi, Valerie Arnould, Doug Wills, Tim Burrowes, William Cain, Grant Booker, Mark Dadswell, David Leeson, Jeff Darmanin, Andrew Tyndall, Cheryl Senter, Ross Duncan, Andy Moger, Paul Burston, Craig Sillitoe, Leith Phillips, Marina Go, Bruce Davidson, Peter Horgan, John Croll, Rick Neville, Kylie Davis, Chris Pash, Hugh Martin, Philip Clark, Leith Phillips, Lianne Richards, Mal Dale, Gai Le Roi, Helena Daley, Garth Agius, Paul Carroll, Andrew Sinclair, Peter Cornelius, Michele McCamley, Paddy Douneen, David Hoath, Samantha Amjadali, Glen Wiggs, Andy Moger, John Koay, Mark Jones, Adrianne Nixon, Paul Dovas, Laurie Geddes, Sylvianne Heim, Danny Massa, Paul Coles, Mark Sharman, Penny Dixon, Allison Whitelaw, Simon Wake, Denise Shrivell, Jane Schulze, Gillian Paton, Jane Nicholls, Peter Miller, Mark Kennedy, Brian Hill, Dean Gould, Charlton D'Silva, Heather Craven, Ray Black.


The PANPA Newspaper of the Year Awards were sponsored by Norske Skog, and the $10,000 Hegarty Award scholarship by Media Super. Print categories were sponsored by DIC, and digital categories by Newscycle.

Pictured: entertainer Brad Blaze with Julian Clarke

On our homepage: Newcastle Herald editor Chad Watson, Editor

(Pictures: The Newspaper Works)