23-05-2025
The Advertiser documentary While I Was Sleeping, about Ben Hyde's miraculous survival, wins INMA Award
A documentary telling former Advertiser deputy editor Ben Hyde's miraculous story of survival after a crash that nearly claimed his life has won a top gong at one of the world's most prestigious media awards.
While I Was Sleeping took home Best New Video Product or Feature at the International News Media Association (INMA) Awards in New York on Thursday, beating out finalists from across the globe.
The powerful documentary, produced by a small team of just Ben, Neely Karimi, Ruicheng Liang and Steven Grice, tells how, in 2021, he was hit by a drugged driver travelling 170km/h and left for dead in a burning wreck.
In While I Was Sleeping, Ben speaks to those who helped save his life as he pieces together how – against all odds – police, good Samaritans, medical experts and a powerful support network helped put him back together again.
Alongside the documentary, The Advertiser created a strong road safety campaign in 2024 called Arrive Alive – with 41 stories over the course of three months which were viewed by more than 1.5 million people across social media platforms.
This campaign was always bigger than Ben. In the lead up, the state's police commissioner lost his teenage son in a hit-run and, at the documentary's launch, Premier Peter Malinauskas revealed his own life had been touched by road tragedy.
Ben said it was incredibly humbling to have the documentary recognised and awarded on the global stage, heralding the pioneering long-form video project produced entirely from Adelaide's newsroom.
'While this is 'my' story, the reality is it is the work of a small army of people, including many skilled hands inside the newsroom, the talent from the documentary who trusted me to tell the story, and my incredible family, who have given nothing but love and support,' Ben said.
South Australians embraced the Arrive Alive campaign and heeded its message, with the state's road toll and number of serious injuries falling year-on-year from 2023 to 2024.
'While I always knew there was a compelling story to tell, the documentary always also aimed to serve a broader purpose around road safety, resilience and celebrating our everyday heroes, whose amazing stories are often left untold,' Ben said.
'I'm hopeful this award will further help that legacy and allow the important messages to reach even more people.'
