With preparations underway for its gala Walkley Awards ceremony in Melbourne on Thursday, The Walkley Foundation has engaged fast-growing Melbourne-based digital agency, August to redevelop its website, with a stronger focus on web 2.0 and collaboration.

The Walkley Awards are the preeminent awards program for Australian journalism and media excellence, with a charter to advance the interests of professional and ethical journalism.

The new website, to be launched early 2009, will extend The Walkleys’online capability to include streamlined online award submissions, as well building an online community to facilitate discussion between the Walkley Foundation members, judges, industry mentors, journalists and media professionals.

“We are thrilled to be working with such a respected organisation in the Australian media. We’re finding more and more professional organisations are recognising the need to evolve their web strategy from the ‘one-way’approach to a more open and collaborative ‘two-way’dialogue with their members”, says Zoë Warne, Co-founder and Director of Creative Services at August.

“We are also most excited to be attending the awards ceremony in Melbourne this week, and are sponsoring the award for “Best Use of New Media”which recognises innovation, creativity and technology in the media- very much aligned with our own philosophy here at the August”, says Warne.

It caps off a stellar 2008 for August, which has seen huge growth in 2008 with the addition of new clients including Snowgum Australia, Yarra Valley Water, Sustainability Victoria and La Trobe University, plus a string of accolades including 2008 Cannes Young Lions Finalists, and for the 2008 B&T Awards Digital Services Company of the Year.