ABC’s Airlie Ward announced as inaugural Voiceless Media Prize winner at the “Oscars of Animal Protection”

ABC Stateline Tasmania’s Airlie Ward scooped the inaugural Voiceless Media Prize at Monday night’s red-carpet Voiceless Awards Event, where the glitterati gathered to celebrate the achievements of the animal protection movement.

Ward’s winning entry, ‘Pig Cruelty’, a 10-minute exposé on the horrendous conditions of a factory farm in Tasmania, was screened to guests after all grants and prizes had been announced. The screening proved a sobering reminder of the work still to be done to end the institutionalised suffering of animals.

Sydney Morning Herald’s Paul Sheehan was highly commended for his two kangaroo pieces, ‘Hey, roo blue – the tale of a larrikin’ and ‘A bloody mob of hypocrites’. Also receiving honourable mentions were Amanda Woods of The Sunday Age for her report, ‘Kirby speaks out about animal cruelty’ and Stephen Romei of The Australian, for his opinion piece, ‘Life or death on the sea ice’.  

Brian Sherman AM, Voiceless Managing Director, said in his speech on the night, “journalists work for the animals on the front line of the Australian community, raising awareness and lifting the veil of secrecy on issues that would otherwise go unnoticed. I am very excited that we have created this Prize to specifically acknowledge and reward the important role of the media in animal protection. I hope that this Prize, together with the strong growing community sentiment about animal protection, will ensure that there is greater media coverage of important animal issues.”

The Voiceless Media Prize will be awarded again next year, with online nominations to open mid-2010. The Prize is awarded for the entry deemed to be the most intelligent, insightful and effective story addressing animal protection in Australia. More details will be available on the Voiceless website closer to the time.

The night also saw 13 animal protection groups, universities and local councils receive grants ranging from $2,500 - $25,000 for their work in animal protection. The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia won the $10,000 People’s Choice! Award for their project, Voices for the Voiceless, a series of 60-second radio segments about how people can get involved with animal protection. A full list of grant recipients and the projects are available on the Voiceless website.

Voiceless’s latest publication, the Animal Law Toolkit, was also launched on the night by the Honourable Justice Ruth McColl AO, Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW. The Toolkit is a snapshot of the status of the animal law movement in Australia, and was produced in recognition of the momentum and growth of this area of law.

Brian Sherman AM is available for interview.   Event photographs are available on request.

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