THE Australian's Anthony Klan won the most prestigious prize at last night's News Awards for his relentless pursuit of the waste and mismanagement in the $16.2 billion schools stimulus package.
The Australian was also named Newspaper of the Year.
The Australian won the top masthead prize for improvements including a redesign, new sections, a new online national affairs section and its Apple iPad app. It was also recognised for its coverage of federal politics in a tumultuous year, and for its series of exposes on the Building the Education Revolution program.
It marked the third time The Australian had been named Newspaper of the Year, following its successes in 2005 and 2007.
In a stellar night for the national broadsheet, associate editor Cameron Stewart received the award for the Scoop of the Year, while Susannah Moran was named Business Journalist of the Year and Eric Lobbecke received the Artist of the Year award.
Klan received the Sir Keith Murdoch Award for Excellence in Journalism at a black-tie dinner at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art.
He became the fourth journalist from The Australian to receive the honour since the awards began six years ago, following in the footsteps of Gary Hughes, Tony Koch and Caroline Overington.
While the BER story was largely ignored by other media outlets, The Australian published more than 200 articles about the program, shifting public opinion and forcing the federal government to launch a $14 million inquiry into the scheme by businessman Brad Orgill.
Stewart's expose of counter-terrorism raids by Victorian and Australian Federal Police in Melbourne last year on the morning they happened was described by judges as a "powerful scoop of enormous national importance".
Moran impressed judges with her "tenacity and patience" in unravelling complex issues into readable exclusives while the works of Lobbecke, the regular illustrator for the commentary page, were "among the most definitive and memorable of the year".
The News Awards, which recognise excellence across News Limited titles throughout Australia, were attended by News Corporation chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch and his four eldest children, Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan and James.
Congratulating the winners and finalists, Mr Murdoch said quality journalism "doesn't just happen".
"It takes a company committed to bringing the public the stories that no one else will do - and the talented men and women like you who are willing to do them," he said.
Mr Murdoch was upbeat about the future of journalism.
"In contrast to the doom-and-gloomers who are always telling us that our industry is dying, we believe the public is hungry for high-quality news and opinion."
News Limited chairman and chief executive John Hartigan presented his Chairman's Award to the editor of Adelaide's The Advertiser, Mel Mansell, and the paper's editorial team.
Mr Hartigan praised the transformation of The Advertiser's newsroom to accommodate digital journalism.
The Young Journalist of the Year was won by Rosie Squires from The Sunday Telegraph.
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