Patrick Bartley of The Age has won the 2014 Quill for Best Sports News Story in any Medium for ‘Needle in a haystack’.

Judges’ comment

Patrick’s revelations about the use of the performance enhancing supplement cobalt struck at the heart of Australia’s racing industry. His story forced officials to put cobalt on the banned substances list and has resulted in investigations into some of Victoria’s most senior trainers, whose horses have recorded elevated readings. Patrick’s exclusive set the agenda for a story that has massive repercussions for Australian racing.

Highly commended

Michael Warner and Mark Robinson of the Herald Sun were highly commended for their coverage of football’s biggest story of the year.