A huge congratulations to Sam Coughlan (The Star, Selwyn Times) who was named Best Sports Journalist at last week’s Community Newspaper Association Awards. Judges praised his “well-rounded portfolio”, recognising his strong mix of sports news, features, and community storytelling.

We also celebrated several other achievements across Allied Media:

Kees Chalmers (Bay Harbour News, The Star Christchurch) was runner-up for both Best Sports Journalist and Best Junior News Journalist, with judges highlighting his excellent writing abilities, insight and sensitivity across a wide range of stories.

Selwyn Times was runner-up for Best Front Page, recognised for its strong local news judgement and clear, community-focused presentation.

Mountain Scene was runner-up for Best Community Newspaper, described by judges as “everything a community should want in its paper” thanks to its compelling storytelling and strong coverage of important local issues.

Mountain Scene was recognised again at the New Zealand Media Awards where it was shortlisted for Community Newspaper of the Year. Otago Daily Times was also a finalist for Metropolitan Newspaper of the Year.

These recognitions reflect the quality journalism and storytelling that is produced across our titles every day. Well done to everyone involved.