The awards are a time to celebrate the hard work of our journalists across the country.

During 2023, the Illawarra Mercury team has been committed to fearless and constructive journalism. We've spent hours tackling divisive issues like the Illawarra Offshore Wind Farm zone, the effect of teen suicide and the outpouring of heartache uncovered by the birth trauma inquiry.

The hard work was rewarded when the Mercury won the coveted title of Masthead of the Year on Monday, December 11. Our health reporter, Kate McIlwain, won Campaign of the Year for her work encouraging women to tell their birth trauma stories.

Photographer Sylvia Liber won News Photograph of the Year for her stunning images of the Wreck Bay community as part of an investigation by Grace Crivellaro uncovering the impact of PFAS contamination.

Adam McLean won Sport Photograph of the Year, and Brendan Crabb won Property Story of the Year.

These awards recognise the hard work, commitment and driving desire our newsroom has to tell stories for our subscribers. It's no secret that many local newsrooms have been forced to close in Australia and around the world.

Their loss means that in those communities, no one is holding power to account, no one is asking the difficult questions, and no one is shining the light on the good and the bad.

Newsrooms cannot operate without an income, but I'm proud to say that the Mercury is thriving, and its readership is stronger than ever.

Your continued support by buying a digital subscription or supporting us through advertising means we can continue to represent the Illawarra.

So please let your friends, family and colleagues know that the Illawarra is fortunate to have one of the best news publications in Australia standing up for the community.

And if they want to keep us, they can support us by buying a digital subscription.

In the meantime, thank you for your continued support. It means more than you know.