​The Kotaku Australia team and Paul Smith from The Australian Financial Review both took home the Gold Lizzies on Friday at the 14th annual MasterCard IT Journalism Awards

This year’s awards would not have been possible without our event sponsor MasterCard, and award sponsors Watterson Marketing Communications, NEC, the Australian Computer Society, Data61 and Linksys.

One major winner was Allure Media’s Kotaku Australia, which earned a total of three awards on the night, whilst the Best Gaming Journalist gong also went to Kotaku’s Mark Serrels. Fairfax Media also walked away with the Best News Coverage award in addition to Best Business Coverage for the Australian Financial Review.

Several categories were also successfully defended, including Best Audio Program by Download This Show, Best Video Program by Good Game, Best Magazine by CRN, Best Independent Media by Ausdroid, Best Technology Industry Journalist by Caitlin Fitzsimmons, Best Business Technology Journalist by Allie Coyne, and Best Media Relations by Matthew Wu.

For the full list of winners below in order of presentation:

Best Dressed Female: Hannah Francis

Best Dressed Male(s): Simon Sharwood, Angus Kidman

Alicia Camphuisen Best New Journalist

Ariel Bogle

Highly Commended: Hayley Williams

Best Audio Program

Download This Show

Highly Commended: Risky Business

Best Video Program

Good Game

Highly Commended: Djuro Sen - 7 News

Best Gaming Journalist

Mark Serrels

Highly Commended: Lucy O’Brien

Best Gaming Coverage

Kotaku Australia

Highly Commended: IGN, Game Informer

Best Personal Technology Coverage

CNET

Highly Commended: Gizmodo

Best Reviewer

Nick Broughall

Highly Commended: Bennett Ring, Adam Turner

Best Magazine

CRN

Highly Commended:  Choice

Cass Warneminde Best News Journalist

Paul Smith

Highly Commended: Mark Serrels

Helen Dancer Best Consumer Tech Journalist

Chris Griffith

Highly Commended: Krishan Sharma

Best Independent Media

Ausdroid

Highly Commended: Stevivor

Best Telecommunications Journalist

David Ramli

Highly Commended: Geoff Long, Petroc Wilton

Best Technical Journalist

Adam Turner

Highly Commended: Jeremy Kirk

Best Columnist

David Milner

Highly Commended: Angus Kidman

Best Technology Industry Journalist

Caitlin Fitzsimmons

Highly Commended: Luke Hopewell, Paul Smith

John Costello Best Business Technology Journalist

Allie Coyne

Highly Commended: Aimee Chanthadavong

Best Business Coverage

The Australian Financial Review

Highly Commended: iTnews, Communications Day

David Hellaby Best Media Relations

Matthew Wu

Highly Commended: Angela Coombes, Dan Chiappini

Best Website

Kotaku Australia

Highly Commended: ABC Tech and Games, iTnews

Best News Coverage

Fairfax Media

Highly Commended: Kotaku Australia

Best Journalist

Paul Smith

Best Title

Kotaku Australia

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All those who entered or judged this year’s awards are invited to attend the awards as guest of our principal sponsor, MasterCard.

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​​The 2016 Tech Leaders Forum will return to the Blue Mountains on March 13 & 14 with a special focus on innovation and IT transformation.

MediaConnect CEO Phil Sim said that Tech Leaders was now accepting RSVPs from interested IT and business media, analysts and influencers, as well as technology companies wanting to present at the event.

Journalists who cover IT or business can click here to express their interest in attending.

“We had great feedback from last year’s event both so we’re returning to the Fairmont Resort with a program similar to last year’s successful format,” Sim said.

“With the heightened interest in how Australia can modernise its economy, we expect this year’s Tech Leaders to have a strong focus on innovation and IT transformation,” Sim said. Other likely topics include ICT policy, security, cloud computing, telecommunications and the Internet of Things.

Tech Leaders is a two-day conference, in its 14th year, that brings together Australia and New Zealand’s most influential IT and business media to meet and hear from IT vendors about the trends that are likely to face the year ahead.

“Innovation is very much a story that has transcended technology media, so we are looking to have an increased focus on business and societal transformation and our invite list will broaden appropriately.”

“We’re also looking to involve analysts, influential IT pros and other key tech and business identities because we want to encourage really robust and interesting topics with a diverse guest list,” Sim said.

Tech Leaders has always attracted high profile keynote speakers, and in recent years Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, ICT Shadow Minister Jason Clare, Senator Scott Ludlam, MP Paul Fletcher and Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Tim Morris have all presented at the event.

Sim said that Tech Leaders’ 14 year history proves that participating companies derived enormous value from the event with many companies returning year-on-year.

“Tech Leaders is the one event where media and vendors take those couple of days out of their schedule to all get together in the one place, build or nurture relationships, improve their understanding of the industry and really get an amazing amount done in a really short space of time,” Sim said.

Interested companies can find out more by calling (02) 9894 6277 or emailing info@mediaconnect.com.au to request the information brochure.

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​The Australian’s Supratim Adhikari will make the trek to Sydney to present at MediaConnect’s upcoming Media Insights seminar.

As well as having the chance to sit down and quiz some of Australia’s most influential technology journalists about pitching preferences and needs, attendees will learn about key IT media topics including the reviews process, tech bloggers, the IT channel and technology in business media. In all, we expect around 20 presenters to speak at the event. This will be the tenth Media Insights seminar, with the event having run since 2007 and in that time more than 200 PR professionals have graduated from the seminar, said MediaConnect CEO Phil Sim.

“It really has become a rite of passage for technology PR professionals in Australia and we’re very proud that this is the tenth Media Insights event.”

“I truly believe what has made Media Insights so successful, is that the event is just as valued as an information sharing forum by the IT journo community and we’re delighted to be able to announce at launch that Supratim is joining us and look forward to sharing more news about the program and other participants shortly.”

To reserve your place at Media Insights 2015 or find out more please call us on (02) 9894 6277 or email Craig Daveson at craigd@mediaconnect.com.au. Any journalist that is interested in participating can also contact Craig Daveson, with the full program and participating speakers to be released within the next fortnight.

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​MediaConnect’s upcoming Tech Leaders Forum will tackle Australia’s proposed data retention legislation from two very different angles at the 2015 event which will be held at the Fairmont Resort in the Blue Mountains on February 22 and 23.

Our opening keynote will be delivered by Assistant Commissioner Tim Morris, who is the national manager for the Australian Federal Police’s High Tech Crime Operations.

Assistant Commissioner Morris will be discussing both the law enforcement community’s need for data retention as well as the broader role of the AFP’s High Tech Crime Operations.

On Sunday afternoon, Greens Senator Scott Ludlam will close the day’s proceedings. Senator Ludlam will also be discussing the data retention legislation, and why he believes the proposed legislations should be opposed.

The Tech Leaders Forum 2015 will be attended by approximately 40 of Australia and New Zealand’s most influential technology journalists, with the goal of discussing the emerging issues facing the technology sector in the upcoming year. Technology vendors and service providers have the opportunity to brief and network with this select gathering of influential media in a hugely time-effective and productive setting. 

There are still openings available for companies to present and more information can be found at TechLeaders.com.au or by calling Mike Woodcock on (02) 9894 6277.

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