Common Home TV picked up recognition in three categories at the 2026 Australasian Catholic Press Association Awards, held in Christchurch New Zealand as part of a two-day conference built around Pope Leo XIV’s message for the 60th World Day of Social Communications, “Preserving Human Voices and Faces.”
Best Layout and Design, Online — Winner
Common Home TV took out Best Layout and Design, Online. Judges praised the site for borrowing the visual language of high-profile streaming platforms and putting it to work for a Catholic audience, an approach they called an exceptional example of how faith-related media can use mainstream design conventions for its own purposes.
Interfaith Dialogue Amid War and Trauma — Highly Commended
Common Home TV also received a Highly Commended for “Interfaith Dialogue Amid War and Trauma,” recognising its interview with Israeli Jewish peace educator Hanna Bendcowsky. The interview was part of Common Home TV’s larger “In the Shadows of the Holy Land” series, which also featured Br Peter Bray and Sami El-Yousef CEO of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Judges called it the bravest sourcing of anything submitted in the category, noting that placing an Israeli Jewish voice alongside Palestinian Christian voices in the same series is an editorial choice most outlets would not make. They described it as ambitious work on the hardest justice story in the world, though the award itself singled out the Bendcowsky interview specifically, rather than the series as a whole.
Common Home TV Executive Producer Matthew Howard said the choice to include an Israeli voice was consistent with the outlet’s mission. “We would never shy away from hearing from Israeli voices in this traumatic situation,” he said. “We are not partisan-based, but based in Catholic social teaching and the Redemptorist peacemaking tradition. This allows us to focus not on partisan fault lines, but on the dignity of, and call to justice for, all of God’s people, regardless of race, religion or affiliation.”
Best Use of Digital Media — Runner-up
Common Home TV was named runner-up for Best Use of Digital Media. Judges pointed to a commendably broad range of topics and ideas, a user-friendly layout, and a focus on digital-friendly short-form video that suits current consumption trends — a strong result given the small size of the team producing it.
The awards capped a conference that also saw Broken Bay News take the night’s top honour, the Bishop Philip Kennedy Memorial Award for Overall Excellence — congratulations to them and all involved. Common Home TV’s three placings came against that field.
(Source: www.cssr.org.au)
