19th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards (2023)

The 19th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, held in 2025 to honor work completed in 2023, celebrated journalists who demonstrated exceptional courage and depth in their reporting. This edition highlighted a significant shift toward digital-first storytelling and collaborative investigative efforts.

Below is the detailed record of the awardees for the year 2023, categorized by their field of excellence.

RAMNATH GOENKA AWARDS 2023: FULL LIST OF WINNERS

Regional & Hindi Journalism

These awards recognize the power of language-specific reporting in reaching diverse audiences across the Indian heartland.

• Hindi (Print/Digital): Mridulika Jha (Aaj Tak) – For sharp, analytical reporting in the digital space.
• Hindi (Broadcast/Digital): Siddhant Mohan (The Lallantop) – For bringing nuanced storytelling to digital video formats.
• Regional Languages (Print/Digital): Jisha Elizabeth (Madhyamam) – For impactful long-form reporting in Malayalam.
• Regional Languages (Broadcast): Mandar Gonjari (ABP Majha) – For excellence in Marathi television journalism.

Environment, Science & Technology Reporting

Focusing on the critical issues of climate change, healthcare, and scientific advancement.

• Print/Digital: Sibu Kumar Tripathi (India Today)
• Broadcast/Digital: Joel Michael & Rohini Krishnamurthy (Down To Earth) – For their collaborative deep-dives into environmental crises.

Uncovering India Invisible

Honoring stories from the margins of society that often go unnoticed by mainstream media.

• Print: Satyasundar Barik (The Hindu)
• Broadcast/Digital: Vishnukant Tiwari & Athar Rather (The Quint) – For their visual storytelling on marginalized communities.

Politics, Business & Sports

Recognizing those who hold power to account and decode complex systems.

• Reporting on Politics & Government (Print): Maitri Porecha (The Hindu)
• Politics & Government (Broadcast): Ashutosh Mishra (India Today TV)
• Business & Economic Journalism (Print): Twesh Mishra (The Economic Times)
• Sports Journalism (Print): Shahab Ali & Amarnath Kashyap (Hindustan)
• Sports Journalism (Broadcast/Digital): Tejas Vaidya & Enakshi Rajvanshi (BBC Hindi)

Investigative Reporting & Special Categories

The “watchdog” awards for those who spent months unearthing hidden truths.

• Investigative Reporting (Print): Nihal AP Koshie, Mahender Singh Manral & Mihir Vasavda (The Indian Express) – A collaborative win for a high-stakes investigation.
• Investigative Reporting (Broadcast): Anurag Dwary (NDTV)
• Feature Writing (Print): Shubhajit Roy (The Indian Express) – For literary flair in long-form journalism.
• Foreign Correspondent Covering India: Nilesh Christopher (Rest of World) – For bridging global perspectives with local Indian tech and society stories.

Civic Excellence & Visual Arts

• Prakash Kardaley Memorial Award for Civic Journalism: Jeet Mashru & Somita Pal (Hindustan Times) – Honoring the memory of Prakash Kardaley by focusing on urban and community issues.
• Photo Journalism (Print): P. Ravikumar (The New Indian Express) – For capturing a defining moment of the year in a single frame.
• Books (Non-Fiction): A.R. Venkatachalapathy (Penguin Random House) – For academic rigor and narrative excellence in non-fiction.

Event Highlights & Context

The ceremony served as a reminder of the foundational values of the Indian press.

• The Mission: Speakers emphasized that while platforms change—from newsprint to digital platforms—the core responsibility remains the same: to speak truth to power.
• The Jury: Winners were selected through a multi-stage process by a jury of former judges, academics, and veteran editors to ensure the highest standards of integrity.
• Legacy: Each year, these awards reinforce the “Journalism of Courage” motto, encouraging reporters to go beyond the press release and into the field.