WINNER 2025
Broadcast/digital
Sarvapriya Sangwan
BBC News
Sarvapriya Sangwan hails from Rohtak, Haryana, where she was raised in a conservative Jaat family. In a time and place where journalism was rarely considered a career path for women, she broke convention to pursue her passion for storytelling. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Dental Surgery, her grassroots exposure led her to the NDTV Media Institute for a diploma in journalism and mass communication.
She began her professional journey in 2011 as an intern at NDTV and soon became a researcher and producer for Primetime, anchored by Ravish Kumar. Her role in co-reporting the 2014 Lok Sabha elections deepened her commitment to value-based journalism. Sarvapriya steadily advanced through roles—from intern to researcher, producer, reporter, and eventually anchor—before joining BBC Hindi in 2017 to further sharpen her journalistic skills in the digital media space.
At BBC, she quickly established herself as a powerful voice in storytelling, winning the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award in 2020. Her work has also received three Special Mentions at the Red Ink Awards in 2019, and she was nominated as ‘Rising Star of the Year’ in the global BBC Awards the following year. In 2021, she was appointed YouTube Editor for all of BBC’s Indian language services and later selected for the BBC’s ‘Women Leadership’ program in 2022.
Currently, Sarvapriya serves as the Digital Video Editor for BBC’s six Indian language services. She oversees video operations, collaborates with reporters on visual storytelling, and manages desk teams to produce explainers and engaging video content. She also hosts a weekly Spotlight show on trending public interest issues, often tackling topics that other media platforms avoid. Her interviews frequently receive wide appreciation and are picked up by other media outlets, further amplifying her impact.
From her beginnings in a government-aided school to becoming a national award-winning journalist and editorial leader, Sarvapriya’s career is a powerful testament to her dedication, resilience, and unwavering commitment to ethical journalism.
Winning Work
The Last Man
Winner of the Journalism Award, The Last Man is an 8-part series that redefined election reporting in India. Amid the noise of the 2024 General Elections, Sarvapriya Sangwan chose to shift the spotlight from political rallies and power centers to the margins, focusing on the lives of those rarely heard.
Guided by Mahatma Gandhi’s talisman, the series asked a central question: Who is the last man? Traveling across remote corners of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab, the series gave voice to India’s most neglected people who often go unnoticed in mainstream coverage.
Themes included education, caste, religion, labor, farming, disability, reservations, and the dignity of life. These issues were explored across different geographies to offer a holistic view of the country’s social fabric. Each episode was shot, edited, and published within 40 days, crafted to be immersive and visually impactful.
The Last Man resonated deeply with audiences. It received overwhelming praise across social media for its empathy, depth, and honest storytelling. More than a report, it became a reflection of India’s unseen realities and a reminder of journalism’s power to inform and humanize.