Julian Fell, The Age/SMH and CommsDay dominate The 2025 Lizzies

The 23rd annual Samsung Australian IT Journalism Awards, affectionately known as The Lizzies, returned on Friday 28 March with a celebration of Australia's best in tech, comms, and science reporting.

Held at Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf, the night brought together journalists, publishers, industry insiders and comms leaders under a floral-themed dress code for cocktails, canapés and a packed awards program.

Julian Fell scores a Lizzies hat trick

ABC journalist Julian Fell emerged as the night's biggest individual winner, taking home three honours:

• Gold Lizzie for Best Journalist

• Best Security Journalist

• Best News Journalist

Fell's standout reporting across technology security and general news categories positioned him as a dominant voice in the national IT and digital journalism space this year.

Fairfax mastheads score big

It was also a strong showing for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, with Tim Biggs and David Swan winning Best Consumer Technology Coverage for their standout work exploring how everyday Australians engage with innovation.

Meanwhile, a powerhouse collaboration across The Age, SMH, The Australian Financial Review and The Sydney Morning Herald took home Best News Coverage, recognising the work of Kate McClymont, Nick McKenzie, Max Mason, and Tess Bennett.

CommsDay founder recognised as Pioneer of IT Journalism

Grahame Lynch, founder and editorial director of CommsDay, was awarded the prestigious Pioneer of IT Journalism award, marking his 30 years of contribution to the sector.

Lynch received heartfelt recognition from current and former journos, industry peers and even Federal Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland, who said: "As Communications Minister, my day usually begins with scrolling through your publication to get across the latest. CommsDay is the authoritative source of commercial, regulatory, political and tech news, thanks to your editorial leadership."

New categories reflect industry evolution

Two new award categories debuted this year, recognising the expanding scope of the tech and science media landscape.

• Smriti Mallapaty of Nature won the inaugural Best Science Journalist award.

• The first Top Newsmaker Award, presented by industry veteran Len Rust, went to IREN co-founder Daniel Roberts.

For the full list of winners head here

Pictured: Gold Lizzie winner Julian Fell and colleagues

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