Last night The Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance and The Walkley Foundation announced the winners of the prestigious, Young Australian Journalist of the Year awards.

This year’s Young Australian Journalist of the Year is The Age health reporter, Julia Medew, who won for her "Hospitals Creating Ghost Wards" report (published in May 2008). Medew began with The Age in 1999 as a copy kid before becoming the paper's Magistrates court reporter. In 2007 she won the Melbourne Press Club Quill Award for Young Journalist of the Year. This year she takes home the coveted award and a trip to newsrooms in the UK and US, with $5000 spending money.

"In a strong field, Julia Medew stood out for her versatility, tenacity and dedication to covering issues in the public interest,” say the award’s judges.

“Julia’s writing, the objective analysis behind it and the empathy clearly expressed were compelling, and a confirmation that print journalism remains a powerful force in media.”

Medew also took home this year’s Young Print Journalist of the Year award, her fellow winners are as follows:

Young Australian Television Journalist of the Year, Yaara Bou Melhem

Young Australian Radio Journalist of the Year, Michael Atkin

Young Australian Photographer of the Year, Sandie Bertrand

Young Australian Online Journalist of the Year, Nic MacBean