The Herald Sun has won the Quill for Best Coverage of an Issue with its reporting of the Laos methanol poisoning.

Judges’ citation:

Fast, first and meticulous. The Herald Sun team were on the ground first for one of the biggest stories of the year, the drink spiking poisonings of Melbourne teenagers Holly Brookes and Bianca Jones. With some personal risk, Stephen Drill and David Caird were at the scene of the crime in Vang Vieng, Laos, where they were able to put to together a comprehensive and insightful retelling of the events leading up to, and the aftermath, of the tragedy, including a superb use of video which was utilised across multiple platforms. Meanwhile in Australia, others from the team provided extra detail and more background to provide the extensive and engaged audience with a complete picture of the awful story as it unfolded.

Highly Commended:

Aisha Dow, The Age Visual Stories Team and Julia Carr-Catzel, The Age, “Scam investigation: How big business turns a blind eye to criminals”

Susie O'Brien and Rebecca Borg, Herald Sun, “VCE exam leaks”

Shortlisted:

Chris Vedelago and Marta Pascual Juanola, The Age, “Streets of fire: The tobacco turf war and rise of a new criminal empire”