Chris Uhlmann v Laurie Oakes in battle of the big guns

The finalists for the 2017 Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism have been announced – and they’ve produced a great result for Nine.

And there’s no match-up juicier than in the Commentary, Analysis, Opinion and Critique category, where the network’s current political editor and former political editor go up against each other.

Uhlmann, who joined Nine in October, and Oakes, an institution in the Canberra press gallery until his retirement in August, are both in the final three and will be judged on their body of work.

Among Oakes's submissions was this analysis on the future of Australian politics.

Watch it here: Laurie Oakes on the future of Australian politics

Chris was nominated for his work with the ABC, including his now famous commentary on Donald Trump’s presidency.

Watch it here: Why Chris Uhlmann's viral critique of US President Donald Trump nearly didn't make it to air

Elsewhere, for 60 Minutes, Tara Brown and producers Grace Tobin and Sean Power are finalists in the Television/Video Current Affairs long-form category for their investigation into the death of Matthew Leveson. 

Tara retraced his suspicious disappearance a decade ago and revealed how his parents had no choice but to make a deal with his killer to finally discover the truth. 

Watch it here: Bitter deal

For A Current Affair, Dimity Clancey has been nominated in the Television/Video Current Affairs short-form category for this chilling exclusive – the never-before-heard confessions of cold-blooded murderer Malcolm Naden. 

Watch it here: Malcolm Naden confessions 

The winners of the 62nd Walkley Awards will be announced at a gala dinner on Wednesday, November 29 in Brisbane.