Commercial Radio Australia today announced 10 finalists for the 2021 Brian White Scholarship for radio journalism. The students were selected from universities and educational institutions across Australia and will now proceed to a workshop with leading commercial radio news directors where they will have the opportunity to develop their news broadcasting and presenting skills.

One finalist will be selected to receive the scholarship, which consists of an eight-week paid placement, working for two weeks each at Nine Radio, Southern Cross Austereo, Australian Radio Network and NOVA Entertainment in either their Sydney or Melbourne newsrooms, with travel and accommodation included if they live outside these cities.

The finalists are:

• Jamie Rey (University of Wollongong, NSW)
• Scott Leek (AFTRS, NSW)
• Helena Ellis (AFTRS, NSW)
• Olivia Hill (AFTRS, NSW)
• Dona Sirimanne (University of Sydney, NSW)
• Francesca De Nuccio (Edith Cowan University, WA)
• Bianca Carbone (Edith Cowan University, WA)
• Daniel Litjens (Edith Cowan University, WA)
• Cameron Carr (Edith Cowan University, WA)
• Christa Nicola (Macleay College, NSW).

CRA chief executive officer Joan Warner said the Brian White Scholarship was a way for the commercial radio industry to find and develop new talent.

“Congratulations to the finalists on making it this far, we hope they find the experience valuable.  Radio plays a unique role in getting information to the public quickly, whether it’s breaking news through live on-air interviews or being on the ground in regional areas when emergencies happen,” she said.

The workshop will be held online this year on August 11 due to current travel restrictions.

The scholarship is named after legendary radio broadcaster Brian White, who was Australia’s first commercial radio cadet journalist in 1953.  He became a dominant figure in radio for more than three decades and was a pioneer of the newstalk format. This is the fifth year that the scholarship has been awarded.