And we are off. The finalists for Print/Text News Report are: Carrie Fellner, Matt Davidson, Matthew Absalom-Wong, Michael Evans, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age; Samantha Maiden, news.com.au; Linda Morris, Eryk Bagshaw, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times. #walkleys

The finalists for Feature Writing Short (under 4000 words), supported by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, are: Lorena Allam, Sarah Collard, Blake Sharp-Wiggins, Guardian Australia; Jackson Ryan, The New York Times; @ben_walter, Island. #walkleys

The finalists for Feature Writing Long (over 4000 words) are: Nicole Hasham, Australian Book Review; Sarah Krasnostein (Sarah Krasnostein), @TheMonthly; Edmund Tadros, Financial Review. #walkleys

The finalists for All Media: Commentary, Analysis, Opinion & Critique, supported by Thomson Geer, are: Annabel Crabb, ABC News; Greg Jericho (Greg Jericho), Guardian Australia; David Leser, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age. #walkleys

The finalists for All Media: Explanatory Journalism are: Mridula Amin, Alex Lim, ABC News; Faster, higher, stronger team, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age; Riley Stuart, Lucy Sweeney, Haidarr Jones, ABC News. #walkleys

Finalists for Coverage of Indigenous Affairs are: ABC News Perth, ABC News; Lorena Allam, Sarah Collard, Blake Sharp-Wiggins, Guardian Australia; Caroline Graham, Kylie Stevenson, Tilda Colling, The Australian. #walkleys

Finalists for Coverage of Community/Regional Affairs, supported by BHP, are: Oliver Jacques, Region Riverina; Matthew Kelly, Newcastle Herald, Erin Parke, Andrew Seabourne, ABC News, 7:30. #walkleys

.Cathy Wilcox, The Sydney Morning Herald. #walkleys

And just like that it was 25 years since I first had the privilege of sitting in the presenter’s chair at SBS News. These are some of the gorgeous and talented people I work with.

What am I listening to on my Friday night drive home from the SBS News studios? A legend of Australian music: composer Carl Vine. Happy 70th birthday.

What am I listening to on my Friday night drive home from the SBS News studios? Some serious wartime nostalgia tonight. Earlier this week I sat in a beautiful garden with my almost-94-yo mum and shared a moment listening to this grand old dame. Special times…

What am I listening to on my Friday night drive home from the SBS News studios? With all the clowns and loony tunes parading across the news on any given day, it’s important to look for the sounds of silence. Or some beautiful harmonies in soulful songs.

You beaut, Ben Lewis #walkleys

“He never ever ever ever stops.” Tribute from the stage to Nick McKenzie and the Breaking Bad team for winning the Gold Walkley for their exposé on corruption in the building industry. #Walkleys

I’m so pleased to be hosting the 2024 Sydney Peace Prize gala dinner on behalf of Sydney Peace Foundation 🕊️. We’re all set to go, honouring the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement for their tireless work protecting people in distress.

An amazing opportunity for a motivated journalist to work within a very special team. Press gallery experience is, for many, career-defining, so get to it!

What am I listening to on my Friday night drive home from the SBS News studios? You’ll have to check Bluesky to find out. But I’ll be singing along…