Olivia Jenkins of the Herald Sun has won the 2021 Young Journalist of the Year award.

Judges' citation

Olivia Jenkins' exclusive story with the mother of a boy who drowned on school camp pulled on the heartstrings of the reader. Her respectful account of the mother's shock, grief and then anger over the covid-restricted funeral laid bare the impacts of the pandemic in gut wrenching articles, pressuring the state government to justify its stance - all on deadline. Equally impressive was her coverage of volatile anti-lockdown protests where she herself became part of the story - falsely arrested in a frightening ordeal, demonstrating her cool head in challenging circumstances and determination to tell the story. Through her portfolio Olivia showed tenacity in chasing stories and maturity in how she told them.

The winning entry

Twenty protesters arrested at anti-vax rally, Herald Sun

Body of work (Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3), Herald Sun

Highly commended

Mitch Clarke, Herald Sun, a body of work

Other finalists

Caitlin Cassidy, Guardian Australia, a body of work

Shannon Schubert, ABC News, 'Shining a light on regional issues and the failures at Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre'

The MPC Young Journalist of the Year award is proudly sponsored by: