Cassie Zervos of the Herald Sun has won the MPC Young Journalist of the Year, for her wide-ranging reporting in 2017.
The judges said: "Cassie scored genuine scoops on several stories of enormous public interest, including the first interview with the mother of accused Bourke Street killer Dimitrious Gargasoulas. She went underground to expose illegal backyard solar beds, reports that led to prosecutions. And her story on the trashing of the Tarneit Community Centre re-ignited the law and order debate. Other stories on football and celebrities completed a terrific Melbourne portfolio."
Zervos receives $1000, return air fares to the United States, accommodation and registration to attend the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) conference.
The award is funded by the Wilnic Family Trust and Josephine Nicholls, widow of David Wilson, a Walkley-award winning investigative reporter who headed The Age Insight team for 10 years.