Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards (India)

The most prestigious annual event in the Indian media calendar, pays tribute to journalists from Print/Digital & Broadcast who maintain the highest standards of their profession despite being in the face of political and economic pressures, who still manage to produce work that generates and sustains public trust in the media and impact the lives of people.

The design of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards trophy dedicated to the winners. The nib and flame, stands for journalism of courage and integrity, the values advocated by Ramnath Goenka, founder of The Indian Express Group.

Award Categories

• Hindi
  • This award will go to a journalist each from print/ digital & broadcast media in Hindi, whose coverage of an event or issue stood out for excellence, independence, depth, quality and impact.
• Environment, science and technology Reporting 
  • This award will be given to the author of an article or a series in any newspaper, magazine or television for exceptional contribution to public awareness & promoting understanding of environmental issues/science and technology.
• Business and Economics Journalism
  • The award will go to a journalist who shows the highest standards of independence, rigour, depth & analysis while covering any aspect of business or economy.
• Sports Journalism
  • This award will go to a journalist each in print/digital & broadcast media, whose coverage explores new avenues & finds a new direction in reporting sports.
• Books (Non-fiction)
  • This award will go to a writer/writers whose published work, through in-depth research & investigation, covers an issue/idea on a scale that newspapers or television channels, with their space & time limitations, cannot aspire to tackle. This award will be for books published in English.
• Photo Journalism
  • This award will honour a photo journalist for news photograph that captures, in a frame, the drama of an entire story.
• Regional Languages
  • This award will go to a journalist each from print/digital & broadcast media in a regional language, whose coverage of an event or issue stood out for excellence, quality, independence, depth and impact.
• Uncovering India Invisible
  • The award will honour substantive print or television reporting that covers rural issues intelligently. It may be awarded for explanatory or expository journalism & will be judged on general excellence, quality of writing, forcefulness & importance to public interest.
• Reporting on politics and Government
  • This award will go to a journalist each in print/digital & broadcast media, whose coverage helps develop a unique understanding of politics & the political process.
• Investigative Reporting
  • This award will go to a journalist from print/digital & broadcast category, whose report investigates an issue of public interest to reveal an aspect/element that has not yet been covered/explored in the media. The report/reports should be a substantive piece of work that is original, forceful and has made an impact.
• Foreign Correspondent Covering India
  • This award will go to a foreign correspondent in print media for coverage that portrays India to a foreign audience most accurately & sensitively.
• Prakash Kardaley Memorial Award for Civic Journalism
  • This award, instituted in memory of The Indian Express’s former Resident Editor in Pune, Prakash Kardaley, will honour a print journalist whose sustained effort highlights a civic issue and forces the authorities to find a solution for it. The award aims to recognise pro-active local reporting that makes a difference in the lives of citizens.

Prize Information

• The prize money for each category is ₹1,00,000/- (Rupeess. One Lac only) which will be given in the form of demand draft only. If prize is awarded to more than one person, the prize money will be shared between them. If prize is awarded to a team, the prize money is given in name of the organization.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Awards are open to any applicant who is 18 years of age or above.
• A series must be designated as such by the publication when it is printed. A regular column may also be submitted as a series. Fiction will not be considered.
• The criteria for awards in Print/Digital & Broadcast journalism are significance of a news story, resourcefulness & courage in gathering information, & skill in relating the story apart from:
  • Degree of difficulty/logistical challenges experienced
  • Comprehensiveness of the report
  • Resources available and means used for gathering information.
• Journalists working for any Indian newspapers/magazines/online/TV channels (published/telecast in the country) are eligible to apply. Indian language papers should send in their stories along with translations in English. All foreign correspondents can also apply. If the story is in a language other than English the translations should be sent along with the stories.

For more information, visit Ramnath Goenka Memorial Foundation.