New Zealand's news media industry celebrated a broad range of top work at the Voyager Media Awards, with the Sunday Star-Times declared newspaper of the year and relative newcomer The Spinoff scoring for top website.

More than 600 guests gathered at Cordis, Auckland, for the awards dinner to celebrate the work of print and broadcast journalists, photographers, videographers, opinion and feature writers, reviewers, artists and cartoonists.
Apart from the overall award, the Sunday Star-Times (pictured) also won weekly newspaper of the year and best newspaper front page (below).

The judges described the newspaper as "an authoritative weekend read, one that outshone its rivals by breaking a series of stories that set the national news agenda", while deciding there was "not much between" this and second placed Herald on Sunday with its splash of compelling stories and "signature bold presentation".

Co-judges for website of the year said The Spin off featured energetic reporting, crisp editing and powerful images. "The Spinoff is where we find stories no one else is covering ... stories we need to hear."
Stuff won best news website or app, for a website the judges said provided not only a comprehensive news service and major investigations but was creative and innovative.
The NZ Herald won newspaper of the year for more than 30,000 circulation, and Stuff's Waikato Times won the category up to 30,000 circulation. For the third consecutive year, magazine of the year was won by New Zealand Geographic.

Two major reporting awards were taken out by broadcasting reporters. Reporter of the year was won by Phil Pennington, RNZ; and broadcast reporter of the year by Janet McIntyre, Sunday/TVNZ, with Jehan Casinader, also from Sunday, a close runner-up.
The annual Wolfson Fellowship to study at Cambridge University, UK, was awarded to Stuff editor in chief Patrick Crewdson who was also named editorial executive of the year. The $4000 junior nib health journalism scholarship was won by Hannah Martin of Stuff, and the $6000 senior nib scholarship went to Catherine Hutton, RNZ.
In other categories, best coverage of a major news event went to Newshub/MediaWorks for its coverage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's royal tour of New Zealand.

Stuff also won both best editorial campaign with its New Zealand Made/Na Niu Tireni series on the unsettling truth about the Treaty of Waitangi; and best innovation in digital storytelling, with Caught, an investigation into the use of forced labour in the tuna-fishing industry.
Feature writer of the year (long-form) was won by Charlie Mitchell, Stuff, who also won the environmental/sustainability award. The science and technology award was won by Eloise Gibson, Newsroom. In the photography and videography categories, photographer of the year was won jointly by two Stuff photographers, Braden Fastier (Nelson Mail) and Chris Skelton. Videographer of the year was won by Tim Flower, VICE, who was presented with the McKendry Award in memory of legendary cameraman Derek McKendry.
Cartoonist of the year was won by NZ Herald's Rod Emmerson, who the judges described as "a legend among legends" with a talent for linking news events for comic effect.
Staged by the Newspaper Publishers' Association, the awards attract nearly 2000 entries and have been running for 46 years.

Full winners:

Digital

Best Innovation in digital storytelling: Caught, Stuff

Best News Website or App: Stuff

Website of the Year: The Spinoff

Features

General: Jehan Casinader, Sunday/TVNZ

Crime and/or social issues: Teuila Fuatai, newsroom.co.nz

Best arts, entertainment and/or lifestyle portfolio: Kim Knight, Canvas, NZ Herald/NZME

Best first-person essay or feature: Michelle Langstone, North & South/Bauer Media Group

Feature writing - Best feature writer - junior: Ellen Rykers, New Zealand Geographic/Kōwhai Media

Feature Writer of the Year (short-form): James Borrowdale, VICE

Feature Writer of the Year (long-form): Charlie Mitchell, Stuff

General

Best Headline or hook: Michael Donaldson, NZ Herald/NZME

Best artwork/graphics (including interactive/motion graphics): Toby Morris, The Spinoff

Cartoonist of the Year: Rod Emmerson, NZ Herald/NZME

Reviewer of the Year (Joint): Charlotte Grimshaw, New Zealand Listener/Bauer Media Group; The Spinoff; Landfall Review Online and Diana Wichtel, New Zealand Listener/Bauer Media Group

Editorial Executive of the Year: Patrick Crewdson, Editor in Chief, Stuff

Wolfson Fellowship: Patrick Crewdson, Editor in Chief, Stuff

Magazines

Best magazine cover: North & South, Bauer Media Group

Best magazine design: HOME New Zealand/Bauer Media Group

Best newspaper-inserted magazine: Viva, NZ Herald/NZME

Best trade/specialist publication and/or website: Farmers Weekly/ GlobalHQ

Magazine of the Year: New Zealand Geographic, Kowhai Media

Newspapers

Best newspaper front page: Sunday Star-Times/Stuff

Community Newspaper of the Year: The Beacon/Beacon Publishing Group

Newspaper of the Year (up to 30,000 circulation): Waikato Times

Newspaper of the Year (more than 30,000 circulation): NZ Herald/NZME

Weekly Newspaper of the Year: Sunday Star-Times/Stuff

Voyager Newspaper of the Year: Sunday Star-Times/Stuff

Opinion writing

Opinion writing - general and/or sport: Max Christoffersen, Waikato Times/Stuff

Opinion writing - humour/satire: Madeleine Chapman, The Spinoff

Opinion Writer of the Year: Simon Wilson, NZ Herald

Photography

Best feature/photographic essay: David White, Stuff

Best photography - general: Stephen Jaquiery, Otago Daily Times/Allied Press

Best photography - portrait: Alden Williams, Stuff

Best photography - news and/ or sport: Braden Fastier, Nelson Mail/Stuff

Best photo - junior: George Heard, The Press/Stuff

Photographer of the Year (joint): Braden Fastier, Nelson Mail/Stuff and Chris Skelton, Stuff

Reporting

Reporter - general: Melanie Reid, newsroom.co.nz

Reporter - crime and/or social issues: Kirsty Johnston, NZ Herald/NZME

Best reporting - Maori affairs: Miriama Kamo, Sunday and Marae/TVNZ

nib Health Journalism Scholarship - junior: Hannah Martin, Stuff

nib Health Journalism Scholarship - senior: Catherine Hutton, RNZ

Environmental/Sustainability Award: Charlie Mitchell, Stuff

Science and Technology Award: Eloise Gibson, newsroom.co.nz

Best individual investigation: Nicholas Jones, NZ Herald/NZME

Best team investigation: Stuff, Sex offender/motel investigations

Best (single) news story (joint): Madeleine Chapman, The Spinoff and Nicholas Jones, NZ Herald/NZME

Best coverage of a major news event: Newshub/MediaWorks, Royal tour

Best editorial campaign or project: Stuff, New Zealand Made/ Nā Niu Tireni

Best reporter - junior: Mackenzie Smith, RNZ

Student Journalist of the Year: Luke Kirkness, NZ Herald/NZME

Community Journalist of the Year: Torika Tokalau, Western Leader/Stuff

Regional Journalist of the Year: Hamish McNeilly, The Press/Stuff

Sports Journalist of the Year: Dana Johannsen, NZ Herald

Business Journalist of the Year: Calida Stuart-Menteath, The National Business Review

Political Journalist of the Year: Tova O'Brien, Newshub/MediaWorks

Broadcaster of the Year: Janet McIntyre, Sunday/TVNZ

Reporter of the Year: Phil Pennington, RNZ

Videography

Best news video (single videographer): Dan Cook, RNZ

Best feature video (single videographer): Anna Harcourt, Re:/TVNZ

Best team video - news: Newshub/MediaWorks, Road toll devastation through the eyes of first responders

Best team video - feature: Sunday/TVNZ, P Babies

Best videographer - junior: Rosa Woods, The Dominion Post/Stuff

Videographer of the Year: Tim Flower, VICE

To view all winners' work and judges' comments go to: www.voyagermediaawards.nz/winners2019

Three videos - a speech given by Voyager CEO Seeby Woodhouse, highlights and interviews from the night, and a Christchurch shootings tribute video - have been uploaded to www.voyagermediaawards.nz for the benefit of those who could not attend awards night.