The Walkley Foundation celebrates excellence in Australian journalism.

The Walkley Foundation is a company limited by guarantee and is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission. The Walkley Foundation has its own constitution and board of directors.

The Walkley Foundation’s Board of Directors is chaired by Adele Ferguson. The Deputy Chair is MEAA Media Federal President Karen Percy. The Walkley Foundation is independently funded, with support from media organisations, government, corporate Australia, universities, public institutions and philanthropists.

The Walkley Foundation’s core mission is to foster excellence in journalism and support a robust and independent media that deepens and enriches democracy, and which lies at the heart of a free society. It seeks to sustain journalism by:

• Managing the Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism
• Promoting the public value of journalism and press freedom
• Fostering innovation in news gathering and storytelling
• Working collaboratively with all media
• Funding and facilitating reporting through mentorships, fellowships, and scholarships
• Independence and good governance.

The Foundation has two awards programs: the Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism and the Mid-Year Awards. The Foundation also administers awards programs on behalf of other organisations including the Our Watch Awards and the MEAA State Media Awards.

The Walkley Judging Board is appointed by the Walkley Foundation’s Board of Directors. The Judging Board is made up of senior members of the Australian media industry who function as custodians of the Walkley Awards. They are responsible for judging the overall winners of the Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism after the first stage of judging. They also act as ambassadors for the Foundation. The chair of the Judging Board is Michael Brissenden.

The Walkley Awards are well known and recognise and reward superlative Australian journalism. The awards’ association with the best in corporate Australia goes back to their inception in 1956 by Sir William Gaston Walkley, founder of Ampol Petroleum.

The award-winning stories, photographs and artwork have chronicled Australia’s people and events for more than 60 years.

The Walkley Foundation hosts an exciting, year-round program of industry and public events, innovation showcases, training sessions and awards to promote excellence in journalism. The Walkley Foundation publishes The Walkley Magazine, Australia’s leading media industry publication.

Many Walkley Foundation services, events and awards, workshops and masterclasses are free or discounted for MEAA Media section members.

For more information, visit www.walkleys.com and follow on Twitter @walkleys. For all general enquiries contact: (02) 9158 3821. You can email the Walkley Foundation’s general address: walkleys@walkleys.com or email individual Walkley Foundation staff