The Danish Siddiqui Journalism Awards 2025 recognized five journalists at a ceremony held at the India International Centre, New Delhi, for their exceptional storytelling that upholds the principles of integrity, empathy, courage, and truth. Established in memory of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, the awards celebrate reportage that confronts power, centers marginalized voices, and reflects the highest standards of journalism.
Former Chief Election Commissioner Dr. S.Y. Quraishi attended as Chief Guest, lauding the winners for their dedication to public interest journalism in an increasingly challenging media landscape.
This year’s recipients included:
- Meghna Bali, South Asia Bureau Chief at ABC, was awarded in the Broadcast category for “Indian Students Duped in Multi-Million Dollar Australian Visa Fraud” a revelatory investigation into the exploitation of Indian students abroad.
- Sarvapriya Sangwan, Digital Editor at BBC News India, is recognized in the broadcast/digital category for “The Last Man” a Hindi-language video series spotlighting the lived realities of India’s most marginalized.
- Saumya Khandelwal, The New York Times contributing photojournalist, was awarded in the photojournalism category for “The Brutality of Sugar:
Debt, Child Marriage and Hysterectomies
” a searing visual narrative on exploitation in Maharashtra’s sugar industry. - Greeshma Kuthar, an independent journalist, was honored in the Print category for her Caravan investigation “Saviour Complex: Why the Biren Singh Government Gives a Free Hand to Arambai Tenggol” which examined state complicity and vigilante violence in Manipur.
- Vaishnavi Rathore, reporter at Scroll.in, was recognized in the print/digital category for “On the Great Nicobar Island, Why the Future is Fearful” a ground report on the socio-ecological cost of mega development.
The winners were selected by a jury comprising Rajdeep Sardesai, Vaishna Roy, Prof. Kishalay Bhattacharjee, and Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson.
“This year’s stories are a reminder of journalism’s power to bear witness and hold the line” the jury noted in a joint statement.
The event also hosted a panel discussion titled “Bridging the Trust Deficit: Restoring Credibility in Indian Journalism” featuring Sanjoy Majumder, Co-Founder and Managing Editor, Collective Newsroom, Ritu Kapur, Co-Founder, MD and CEO, The Quint, Rajdeep Sardesai, Senior Journalist and Author and Prof. Kishalay Bhattacharjee, Dean, Jindal School of Journaism and Communication. The session, moderated by Poulomi Saha, Senior Editor, India Today Group, explored ways to rebuild public confidence in the media.
The awards continue to affirm the legacy of Danish Siddiqui by honoring journalism that seeks truth and tells it with courage.
