Country Press NSW Inc has a well-documented history of supporting and promoting newspaper publishers throughout New South Wales.

We were founded in 1900 as the New South Wales Country Press Association and made minor adjustments to our name in 1986 to Country Press of New South Wales Inc. and from 2008 we are known as Country Press NSW Inc.

Through our membership, entries are sought every year from a wide range of categories, including journalism, community involvement, reporting, feature writing, photography, printing, advertising, marketing and overall excellence.

These awards are proudly led by a suite of EC Sommerlad Memorial Awards for Journalism, ensuring outstanding quality of competition and recognition for exceptional journalists and their writing and presentation skills.

We are justly proud of all our awards and the following extract will provide an insight into the source of our pride, the recognition provided to newspaper staff and the value we place on generating quality newspapers for the population we serve – our readers.

The EC Sommerlad Memorial Awards for Journalism

“Country journalism is distinguished by its intimate contact with readers; it mirrors the life of the community and is the authentic currency of rural activities. Country papers can build themselves impregnably into district esteem by their championing of country needs…I am pained to see a country paper without an editorial. It is not enough for a paper to be a mere recorder of what happens. A virile and enterprising paper leads rather than follows.”

From “What is ahead of the country paper?” an address by EC Sommerlad to the annual Country Press conference in 1945.

Ernest Christian Sommerlad has an honoured place in the history of the Country Press Association of New South Wales. When proprietor of the Glen Innes Examiner, he was appointed general manager of The Country Press Co-operative Company and moved to Sydney in 1929. During the following 23 years he became Managing Director and Chairman of the company, Secretary, President and life member of the NSW Country Press Association and life member of the Australian Provincial Press Association.

He led the association through the crises of the 1930s Depression and World War II and was an outspoken champion of the country press and country people.

On his death in 1952, members of the association contributed to a memorial fund to establish the Sommerlad Awards for Journalism to encourage the high editorial and ethical standards he advocated and practised. These were the first journalism awards established in Australia.

2013 COUNTRY PRESS NEW SOUTH WALES AWARDS WINNERS

 EC Sommerlad Memorial Award for Journalism

 

WINNER - The Daily Advertiser, Wagga Wagga

(Bob Mackie, CPNSW President - Gary Olson, Fairfax Regional Media)

 

EC Sommerlad Memorial Award for Journalism - Tri-Weekly

 

WINNER - The Area News, Griffith

(Bob Mackie, CPNSW President - Gary Olson, Fairfax Regional Media) 

 

EC Sommerlad Memorial Award for Journalism - Bi- Weekly

WINNER - The Armidale Express

 (Bob Mackie, CPNSW President - Angela Bourke, The Armidale Express)

 

 EC Sommerlad Memorial Award for Journalism - Weekly & One Journalist 

WINNER - Milton Ulladulla Times

 (Bob Mackie, CPNSW President - Jo Boole, Fairfax Regional Media)

 

 

The Canon Award for Photography 

 

WINNER – Namoi Valley Independent

(Bob Mackie, CPNSW President - Peter Koch, Namoi Valley Independent)

 

The Media Super Award for a Feature Supplement

 

WINNER - Goulburn Post

(Louise Thrower, Fairfax Regional Media - Virginia Flint, Media Super)

 

The iSentia Award for Special Publications

 

WINNER – Southern Highland News

(Jackie Myers, Fairfax Regional Media - Steve Ford, iSentia)

 

The Goss International Award for Newspaper Presentation In the category Dailies and Tri Weekly

 

WINNER – Western Advocate, Bathurst

(Matt Sharkady, Goss International - Murray Nicholls, Fairfax Regional Media)

 

The Goss International Award for Newspaper Presentation In the category Weekly and Bi Weekly 

 

WINNER – The Irrigator, Leeton

(Felicity Nolen, Fairfax Regional Media - Matt Sharkady, Goss International)

 

The WO Richards Award for Technical Excellence in Newspaper Production

 

WINNER - The Monaro Post, Cooma

(Tania Gordon, Norske Skog - Garry Baker, Deniliquin Pastrol Times)

 

DIC Award for Locally Produced Advertising 
(Newspapers with a circulation of up to 5000)

WINNER – The Courier, Narrabri

(Wanda Dunnet, The Courier- Steve Packham, DIC)

 

The DIC Award for Locally Produced Advertising 
(Newspapers with a circulation of over 5000)

WINNER: Manning Great Lakes Extra, Taree

(Joanne Mansell, Fairfax Regional Media- Steve Packham, DIC)

 

 The DIC Award for Commercial Supplement

WINNER - The Irrigator, Leeton

(Felicity Nolen, Fairfax Regional Media- Steve Packham, DIC) 

 

The DIC Award for an Advertising Idea

 

WINNER: The Courier, Narrabri

(Wanda Dunnet, The Courier- Steve Packham, DIC)

 

The Norske Skog Award for Newspaper Marketing and Promotion

 

WINNER: South Coast Register, Nowra

(Rachael Thornett, Fairfax Regional Media - Tania Gordon, Norske Skog)

The Country Press New South Wales Award for Online Editorial Coverage

 

WINNER: The Advertiser, Cessnock

(Bob Mackie, CPNSW President - Rebecca Gillon, The Advertiser)

 

The Country Press New South Wales Award for Online Advertising

 

WINNER: Port Macquarie News

(Bob Mackie, CPNSW President - Ruth Lewis, Fairfax Regional Media)

To download a copy of the 2013 Judges Comment book  Click Here
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