"Shark Attack!" - Joseph Coulter award winning photo taken by Jodie Hallows
JOSEPH COULTER BEST NEWS STORY OF THE YEAR
Trainers devastated by SA blaze ... Paul Courts
Natural disasters affected numerous harness racing participants in many parts of Australia during the season, none more so than the devastating fires which ravaged wide tracts of South Australia in late 2015. Paul Courts covered some of the impact in this graphic story published in www.harnessnews.com.au on November 26, 2015.
GRAHAM GOFFIN MEMORIAL AWARD - BEST FEATURE ARTICLE
That's our Kerryn ... Paul Courts
Kerryn Manning has been a high achiever in harness racing for more than two decades and Paul Courts chronicles some of her amazing journey - from her first win as a 16 year old school girl at Ararat in Victoria, to feature events in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. The feature story was published in www.harnessnews.com.au on November 12, 2015, only days after she became the first female to win the New Zealand Cup, driving Arden Rooney to victory in the great race.
GRAHAM GOFFIN MEMORIAL AWARD - BEST REGIONAL STORY
Len's journey ... Amanda Rando
Battlers like Len Clement are the heart and soul of harness racing and the northern NSW trainer-driver set himself a challenge as he retired from full-time work which would take his passion for the sport to another level. In the November 2015 edition of e-gazette, Amanda Rando documents Len's progress with his attempt to fulfill a dream to drive at every track across NSW.
GRAHAM GOFFIN MEMORIAL AWARD - BEST HISTORICAL FEATURE
James Alfred Roberts (1841-1896) ... John Peck
James Alfred Roberts founded the first major standardbred stud farm in Australia and had a significant impact on the Australian breeding industry by importing stallions and broodmares. His fascinating career in Australian business, sport and public office is detailed in an entertaining 15,000 word biography written by John Peck and added to the Classic Families website, classicfamilies.net, in August 2016.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Amazing horseman ... Alan Parker
An intriguing feature by Alan Parker about a larger-than-life character in WA harness racing more than a century ago, published in Racing Ahead magazine in June/July 2016.
BEST PUBLISHED ACTION OR STILL PHOTOGRAPH
Shark Attack! ... Jodie Hallows
Jodie Hallows captured the elation of reinsman Chris Alford as he crossed the line with Lennytheshark to win the 2015 Perth Inter Dominion Grand Final at Gloucester Park. The picture was published on the front page of the February/March 2016 edition of Racing Ahead magazine.
An outstanding collection of photographs was submitted for the award this year, demonstrating great skill by eight photographers around the nation. Like the Inter Dominion final, it was a top quality field, and it was unfortunate there could only be one winner.
BEST BOOK
The Joe Ilsley Story ... Peter Collier
Trainer-driver Joe Ilsley was a unique figure in an industry of characters and Peter Collier has captured the essence of the man known as "Trotting's Mr. Nice Guy" in this well written and interesting book published in May 2016.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
First Past The Post - The Boort Trotting Club ... Daryl Poxon
First Past The Post - The Tradition Lives On 1991-2016 is a sequel to the book about the first century of the Boort Trotting Club, also written by Daryl Poxon. It is a fascinating insight into the horses, people and issues that have featured in the history of the oldest continuous trotting club in Australia.
BEST RADIO FEATURE TO AIR
TAB Talk Inter Dominion preview - Simon Harrison and Adam Hamilton
An entertaining and informative edition of TAB Talk on Sky Sports Radio on Sunday December 13, 2015, prior to the running of the Inter Dominion grand final at Gloucester Park, hosted by Simon Harrison and Adam Hamilton and featuring the connections of all runners in the race.
BEST TELEVISION/VIDEO/FILM FEATURE TO AIR
Sky Racing coverage of the 2015 Inter Dominion heat night in Bunbury ... hosted by Gareth Hall and Adam Hamilton
Exceptional presentation of the second round of Inter Dominion heats at Bunbury was provided on Sky Racing, especially on Sky 2 where it was the only meeting covered for much of the timeslot. Every aspect of the meeting was covered by hosts Gareth Hall and Adam Hamilton and it attracted strong wagering turnover as well as favourable comment from viewers.
AWARD OF MERIT FOR DEMONSTRATED EXCELLENCE IN PROMOTION
Harnessing Our Future Conference ... Harness Racing NSW
The two day conference staged by Harness New South Wales in June 2016 was a resounding success, with delegates from a wide cross section of the industry witnessing excellent presentations on a range of topics relevant to the future of harness racing.
AWARD OF MERIT FOR DEMONSTRATED EXCELLENCE IN SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE & INNOVATION
2015 Inter Dominion Social Media Campaign ... Scott Hamilton and the Gloucester Park Harness Racing Club's Marketing team
The 2015 Perth Inter Dominion attracted widespread interest and the Gloucester Park team, headed by Scott Hamilton, ensured there was extensive promotion of the event on all digital media platforms. Interesting videos, web stories and prolific offerings on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all contributed to the exposure of the event.
