Medium Rare, The Local Project among winners at Mumbrella Publish Awards 2025
The team from The Local Project, who picked up four awards on the night
Mumbrella has officially unveiled the winners of this year’s Publish Awards.
After receiving 17 nominations, Medium Rare Content Agency snagged four awards.
They include Designer of the Year, which went to the company’s art director Dan Morley.
“Exceptionally creative” was how one of the judges described Morley, while others agreed that his expertise brought “glamour and spunk to a category not traditionally regarded as sexy”.
The agency also won Best Use of Video for Medium Rare’s work with Coles, “Curtis Stone Best Ever”; Single Article of the Year for company director Steph D’Souza’s work for the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD); and Association or Member Organisation Publication of the Year for “Company Director” for AICD.
Another outlet that secured four trophies was design publication The Local Project.
The organisation’s “Habitats: City, Coast, Forest” set won Special Edition of the Year, as the jurors found it was a “gorgeous product with clean design and clear goals”. They also branded it “the full package”.
Meanwhile, the business itself won Publication of the Year and Publishing Company of the Year – Small/Large. The Local Project’s editor-in-chief and chief executive officer Aidan Anderson was named as Publish Leader of the Year.
The event was held at Sydney’s South Eveleigh, with actor and comedian Dave Thornton hosting.
Mc Dave Thornton
“ I personally feel a long connection to these awards,” Mumbrella publisher Tim Burrowes said in his welcome speech. “We love having the opportunity to celebrate the whole industry together, particularly when the industry is going through more challenges than ever before.”
Future Women’s Sally Spicer — who won Journalist of the Year at the 2024 awards — was named Young Writer of the Year (30 or Under). Meanwhile, Spicer’s company’s won the Award for Innovation, thanks to its “Choose Her Own Adventure” finance-focused content series.
The night was also good to Are Media. The publishing giant’s lifestyle magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, gave it three awards this year: Best Engagement Strategy; Brand of the Year; and Editor of the Year, courtesy of Megan Osborne.
For the Brand of the Year category, the awards jurors deemed 2025 “a transformative year” for Better Homes & Gardens — a period of time that saw “a huge turnaround that modernised the brand and delivered a clear standout entry backed by strong results”.
They congratulated the magazine’s team for developing and acting upon a strategy that met its audience’s needs.
With the Publish Awards over, the agenda shifts to its corresponding event, the Mumbrella Publish conference.
Taking place on October 28 at the State Library of NSW, the Publish conference will gather the who’s who of the publishing industry to discuss the challenges facing the sector, inspire solutions to innovate, and network with peers. News Corp’s Nicholas Gray, the Guardian’s Rebecca Costello, Nine Publishing’s Tory Maguire and the Digital Publishers Alliance’s Tim Duggan are among the industry heavyweights on stage.
Tickets to the event are available now.
The full winners list for the 2025 Mumbrella Publish Awards can be found below:
Magazine Cover of the Year
WINNER: CityMag – Solstice Media
Solstice Media accepting Magazine Cover of the Year
Designer of the Year
WINNER: Dan Morley – Art Director, Medium Rare Content Agency
Dan Morley is the 2025 Designer of the Year
Best Use of Video
WINNER: Curtis Stone Best Ever – Medium Rare Content Agency for Coles
Medium’ Rare’s first win of the night
Best Podcast (Single Episode)
WINNER: Episode 1: Hold The Moment Podcast – Dementia Australia & Deadset Studios for Dementia Australia
The pilot episode of the Hold The Moment Podcast was named best podcast (single episode)
Best Podcast (Series)
WINNER: Hold The Moment Podcast – Dementia Australia & Deadset Studios for Dementia Australia
After winning Best Podcast (Single Episode), Deadset Studios and Dementia Australia returned to the stage for Best Podcast (Series)
Single Article of the Year
WINNER: Steph D’Souza – Company Director – Medium Rare Content Agency for Australian Institute of Company Directors
Steph D’Souza’s Qantas article for Company Director won her Single Article of the Year
Newsletter of the Year
WINNER: The Energy
The Energy had the year’s best newsletter
Event or Virtual Event of the Year
WINNER: ExplorerFest – We Are Explorers
We Are Explorers’ ExplorerFest was the Event of Virtual Event of the Year
Special Edition of the Year
WINNER: Habitats: City, Coast, Forest – The Local Project
Special Edition of the Year went to The Local Project for its “Habitats: City, Coast, Forest” work
Launch/Relaunch of the Year
WINNER: Create – Mahlab for Engineers Australia
Mahlab’s work for Engineers Australia, “Create”, was the Launch/Relaunch of the Year
Young Writer of the Year (30 or Under)
WINNER: Sally Spicer – Future Women
Sally Spicer’s work earned her Young Writer of the Year (30 or Under)
Columnist of the Year
WINNER: Luke Buckmaster – Flicks
Luke Buckmaster’s way with words made him Columnist of the Year
Editor of the Year
WINNER: Megan Osborne, Better Homes & Gardens, Are Media
Are Media’s first win of the night was Megan Osborne being crowned Editor of the Year
Salesperson/Team of the Year
WINNER: Sales & Partnerships – Broadsheet Media
Broadsheet Media won Salesperson/Team of the Year
Publish Leader of the Year
WINNER: Aidan Anderson – CEO & Editor in Chief, The Local Project
Another win for the Local Project: Aidan Anderson as Publish Leader of the Year
Brand of the Year
WINNER: Better Homes & Gardens – Are Media
The Better Homes & Gardens team made the lifestyle magazine Brand of the Year
Website of the Year
WINNER: Man of Many
Man of Many’s website was deemed best of the year
Association or Member Organisation Publication of the Year
WINNER: Company Director – Medium Rare Content Agency for Australian Institute of Company Directors
Medium Rare Content Agency’s Company Director publication won the agency its fourth award of the night
Publication of the Year
WINNER: The Local Project
Publication of the Year went to The Local Project
Custom Publication of the Year
WINNER: Wildlife Matters – Australian Wildlife Conservancy
The Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s “Wildlife Matters” publication was the top Custom Publication of the Year
Publishing Company of the Year – Small/Large
WINNER: The Local Project
The Local Project took to the awards’ stage for the final time last night for Publishing Company of the Year – Small/Large
Best Engagement Strategy
WINNER: Better Homes & Gardens – Are Media
Are Media’s Better Homes & Gardens ahs the Best Engagement Strategy for 2025
Educational Publication of the Year
WINNER: BusinessThink – UNSW Sydney
The jurors voted that BusinessThink from UNSW Sydney is the Educational Publication of the Year
Emerging Publication of the Year
WINNER: Never Too Small Magazine – Never Too Small
Never Too Small lived up to its name by winning Emerging Publication of the year for its magazine
Award for Innovation
WINNER: Choose Her Own Adventure – Future Women
The 2025 Mumbrella Publish Awards ended with Future Women’s “Choose Her Own Adventure” series winning the Award for Innovation
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