Julian Kingma and The Power of Choice shine at Walkley Awards
Photographer Julian Kingma and his book The Power of Choice have been recognised at the annual Walkley Awards, Australian journalism's highest honours.
Kingma picked up an award in the feature photography/photo essay category for his deeply personal portraits and photo essays that capture the hope, struggle, courage and acceptance at the heart of voluntary assisted dying.
Published by NewSouth, The Power of Choice is a collaboration between Kingma and Go Gentle Australia.
Go Gentle's founder Andrew Denton, who wrote a moving foreword to the book, said the Walkley was “a wonderful recognition for the deep humanity and many skills that made the project possible”.
The book offers something more powerful than argument – and that’s understanding.”
While the recognition of Kingma's sensitive and poignant work is well-deserved, the true winners of this award are the terminally ill people, families and carers who bravely told their stories and gave their precious time so others would know this choice is there.
Kingma was particularly acknowledged for his photo essay featuring Queensland man Nigel Taimanu, who used VAD the day after his 53rd birthday in 2023.
Tamainu, whose cancer had spread throughout his body, gave Kingma extraordinary access in the lead up to, and day of, his death.
The judges said the photo essay treated a difficult subject with “grace and respect”, and the result was “intimate and dignified”.
“The photographer achieved the task of capturing the day by removing himself from the emotion, becoming a fly on the wall while he was in close proximity to the subject’s death and his family.”
There were more than 1000 entries into the 70th Walkley Awards, which were announced at a ceremony in Sydney.
Chair of the judging board, Sally Neighbour, said the “high calibre” of entries from winners and finalists was a “testament to the fact that Australian journalism is at its best, as good as anywhere in the world”.
“At a time of immense disruption for the news media, it is heartening that the commitment to journalistic independence, excellence and integrity remains as strong as ever.”
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