THREE APN Australian Regional Media journalists have been honoured for excellence at Queensland's 2015 Clarion Awards.

APN Newsdesk reporter Adam Davies won best regional feature for his powerful piece Innocence Stolen detailing the harrowing story of a girl who was brutally and sadistically raped by her father when she was seven years old.

Fellow APN Newsdesk reporter Sherele Moody was highly commended for her courageous personal story of domestic violence which was used to launch the Terror at Home campaign.

Newsdesk is the Brisbane-based reporting team who contribute stories to ARM's 12 daily titles across Queensland and northern NSW.

Queensland Times journalist Brian Bennion was a finalist in the all media category for  social Issues reporting, along with Hedley Thomas from The Australian, Matt Wordsworth from the ABC, Kathy McLeish, Michael McKinnon and Heidi Rexa from the ABC.

University of the Sunshine Coast student Ashley Porter, who recently joined ARM's expanding digital team, was named most outstanding journalism student for her body of work, continuing a fine winning tradition for the Coast university.

ARM editorial director Bryce Johns said the trio deserved the accolades.

"These pieces of work were certainly among Queensland's best examples of journalism," Mr Johns said.

The Clarion Awards, organised by the MEAA journalists union, recognise excellence in Queensland journalism across a range of categories in print, television, radio and online.

The ABC's Kathy McLeish was named the 2015 Queensland Journalist of Year. She also shared the Clarion for All Media - Investigative Journalism with colleagues Michael McKinnon and Heida Rexa for coverage of the Barrett closure inquiry.

The Clarion for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism went to former Courier-Mail editor Greg Chamberlin, who also served as editor of APN's The Chronicle in Toowoomba and the Bundaberg News-Mail.

Mr Chamberlin retired from News Queensland in 2008 after almost 50 years in journalism.

He edited the Courier-Mail during its probe into police corruption which led to the Fitzgerald Inquiry.

Despite facing no less than 17 legals writs, the paper courageously pursued the story.

"He helped build the resilient culture that has seen Queenslanders better served than voters in most other states by a vigilant media,'' the judges said.

2015 Queensland Clarion Award Winners

The 2015 Queensland Journalist of the Year
Sponsored by Griffith University
·       Kathy McLeish, ABC

Outstanding Contribution to Journalism
Sponsored by The University of Queensland
·       Greg Chamberlin

All Media - New Journalist of the Year
Sponsored by QLD Parliamentary Media Gallery    
Winner
·       Alyse Edwards, ABC News, Body of Work

All Media - Investigative Journalism     
Winner
·       Kathy McLeish, Michael McKinnon and Heida Rexa, ABC, The Barrett closure inquiry
All Media - Broadcast Interview    
Sponsored by Queensland Police Union
Winner
•          Matt Wordsworth, ABC, Bruce Flegg Interview     

            
All Media - Business Journalism     
Winner
·       Rosanne Barrett and Michael McKenna, The Australian, Queen's Wharf
All Media - Commentary, Analysis, Opinion & Critique  
Sponsored by Three Plus Pty Ltd
Winner
·       Paul Syvret, The Courier-Mail, Collected Columns

All Media - Health and Wellness    
Sponsored by Diabetes Qld
Winner
·       Mike Bruce, The Sunday-Mail, Kokoda: The Walk of Life
All Media - Indigenous Issues Reporting   
Winner
·       Michael Madigan, The Courier-Mail, Beyond the Dark Clouds
All Media - Most Outstanding Journalism Student
Sponsored by Media Super
Winner
·       Ashley Porter, University of the Sunshine Coast, Body of Work

All Media - Multicultural Queensland Award       
Sponsored by Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland  
Winner
·       Stefan Armbruster, SBS World News, Asylum seekers and refugees: Changing the Conversation
All Media - Rural Journalism          
Sponsored by Rural Press Club
Winner
·       Pip Courtney and Caitlyn Gribbin, ABC, The Big Dry

All Media - Social Issues Reporting
Sponsored by Network Ten
Winner
·       Matt Wordsworth, ABC, Domestic Violence Series
All Media - Sports Journalism
Sponsored by Lion
Winner
·       The Courier-Mail/Sunday-Mail Group Entry; Peter Badel, Todd Balym, Chris Garry and Jeremy Pierce, The Courier-Mail/The Sunday-Mail , Titans drug scandal

All Media - Freelance Journalism
Winner
·       Andrew McMillen, Good Weekend magazine, The Weekend Australian, Magazine, Backchannel, the technology section on Medium.com, The Weekend Australian Review, BuzzFeed, Body of Work

Online Journalism 
Winner
·       Ian Burrows, Katie Cassidy, Felicity Sheppard, Ben Hays, Ben Atherton, Ben Spraggon and April Chan, ABC, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17

News Photograph- Metropolitan
Winner
·       Peter Wallis, News Corp Australia, Gerard Baden-Clay
Photographic Essay
Winner
·       Luke Marsden, News Queensland, Reef Rescue

Sports Photography
Winner
·       Darren England, The Courier-Mail, Tim Cahill

Print/Online - Feature Article        
Sponsored by Local Government Association of Queensland   
Winner
·       Janelle Miles, QWeekend/The Courier-Mail, Fatal Fingers

Print/Online - News Report
Sponsored by Chanel Nine Brisbane 
Winner
·       David Murray and Kate Kyriacou, The Courier-Mail, Ultimate Betrayal-The murder of Allison Baden-Clay

Print /Online - Best Three Headings          
Sponsored by Seven Network Brisbane       
Winner
·       Sean Keeley, The Courier-Mail, "Jihad me at hello" ," Voyage of the crammed" and " Fillip for Republicans""

Print /Online - Artwork
Winner
·       Sharni Hargrave, Seven News, The Dynamics of Graphics: Revolutionising Graphic Captions for Live Production
Regional & Community - Print/ Online: News Report
Sponsored by Ipswich City Council
Winner
·       Laura Nelson, Gold Coast Publications, Park of Shame

Regional & Community - Broadcast Report       
Winner
·       Bruce Atkinson, ABC, Biloela Flood
Regional & Community - Print /Online: Feature Article or Opinion:
Sponsored by Council on the Ageing (COTA)
Winner
·       Adam Davies, Australian Regional Media, Innocence stolen

Regional & Community - News Photograph
Winner
·       Glenn Hampson, Gold Coast Bulletin, How do you tell him?
Radio - Current Affairs, Feature Documentary or SpecialSponsored by Media Super

Winner
·       Stephanie Smail, ABC, Exposing a hidden threat

Radio - News Report
Winner
·       Nick Wiggins, 4BC, State Election 2015

Television - Current Affairs, Feature Documentary         
Sponsored by Queensland Police Union       
Winner
·       ABC/Landline Group Entry, Nicole Bond, Heida Rexa, Matt Wordsworth, Pip Courtney and Caitlyn Gribbin, ABC, ABC News Special: Getting a Grip on Drought

Television - The John Bean Award for News and Current Affairs Camerawork
Sponsored by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
Winners
·       Daniel Burton, Lee Carseline and Mark Deadman, Seven News , Kokoda 2015
·       Peter Steer, Seven News, Cameraman Carjacked

Television News Report
Sponsored by QUT Creative Industries       
Winner
·       Max Futcher and Mark Michalek,  Seven News , Bali Executions: Drug smuggling ringleaders final days