19th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards 2025 ceremony was held in New Delhi, with President Droupadi Murmu presenting awards to 27 journalists across print, digital, and broadcast media. These awards honor exceptional work in journalism, recognizing excellence in investigative reporting, politics, business, sports, photojournalism, and regional language journalism.
Key Highlights
- Award Categories:
The awards were presented in 13 categories, including investigative journalism, politics and government reporting, feature writing, regional languages, sports, and environment reporting. - Jury Members:
The jury included distinguished personalities like retired Supreme Court Justice B.N. Srikrishna, Rohini Nilekani (chairperson, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies), and S.Y. Quraishi (former Chief Election Commissioner).
About Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards (RNG Awards)
- The awards are one of India’s most prestigious honors in the field of journalism.
- Named after Ramnath Goenka, a pioneer in Indian journalism and founder of The Indian Express, the awards have been held annually since 2006.
- They recognize exceptional work in both print and broadcast journalism.
- The Indian Express also instituted the Ramnath Goenka India Press Photo Award in 2004, exclusively for media photographers.
Full List of Winners
Print Journalism
- Hindi Journalism: Mridulika Jha (Aaj Tak): For her investigative report mapping the dangerous “Dunki route” used by young people from Haryana to illegally migrate to the US.
- Regional Languages: Jisha Elizabeth (Madhyamam): For her gripping story on how Thailand-based traffickers forced Indian youths into cyber slavery.
- Environment, Science & Technology Reporting: Sibu Kumar Tripathi (India Today): For his series on the crisis in Joshimath caused by unchecked infrastructure development.
- Uncovering Invisible India: Satyasundar Barik (The Hindu): For a series of stories exploring the lives of migrating daughters in urban India.
- Business and Economic Journalism: Twesh Mishra (The Economic Times): For his report on how the ‘Make in India’ initiative is transforming the electric vehicle (EV) sector.
- Politics & Government Reporting: Maitri Porecha (The Hindu): For in-depth coverage of the Balasore train tragedy and the underlying systemic issues.
- Sports Journalism: Shahab Ali & Amarnath Kashyap (Hindustan): For their exposé on the poor living conditions in gold medalist Asha Kiran Barla’s village in Jharkhand.
- Investigative Journalism: Nihal AP Koshie, Mahender Singh Manrala & Mihir Vasavda (The Indian Express): For their investigation into protests following allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, head of India’s wrestling federation.
- Feature Writing: Shubhajit Roy (The Indian Express): For his ground reports on the human impact of conflict in Gaza and the West Bank.
- Foreign Correspondent Covering India: Nilesh Christopher (Rest of World): For forensic analysis and AI reporting, debunking false political claims and examining manufacturing trends in India.
- Prakash Kardaley Memorial Award for Civic Journalism: Jeet Mashru & Somita Pal (Hindustan Times): For their investigation into Mumbai’s BMC-run hospitals, exposing a crisis that led to policy changes.
- Photojournalism: P. Ravikumar (The New Indian Express): For capturing haunting images of the devastation in North Chennai after an oil spill triggered by Cyclone Michaung.
- Books (Non-fiction): A.R. Venkatachalapathy: For his biography of V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, who defied the British Empire’s shipping monopoly.
Broadcast Journalism
- Hindi Journalism: Siddhant Mohan (The Lallantop): For his ground report debunking simplistic narratives about Kerala.
- Regional Languages: Mandar Gonjari (ABP Majha): For his report on how an undertrial ran a drug racket from his hospital bed in Pune.
- Environment, Science & Technology Reporting: Joel Michael & Rohini Krishnamurthy (Down To Earth): For their exposé on industrial pollution and a deadly gas leak in Ludhiana.
- Uncovering Invisible India: Vishnukant Tiwari & Athar Rather (The Quint): For their investigation into witch-hunting and violence against women in rural Jharkhand.
- Politics & Government Reporting: Ashutosh Mishra (India Today TV): For his harrowing ground reports on ethnic violence in Manipur.
- Sports Journalism: Tejas Vaidya & Enakshi Rajvanshi (BBC Hindi): For their inspiring story on how disabled women cricketers in Gujarat are overcoming adversity through sports.
- Investigative Reporting: Anurag Dwary (NDTV): For exposing a medical college scam in Madhya Pradesh, revealing sub-par infrastructure and nonexistent exams.