WINNER 2025
PRINT/DIGITAL
Vaishnavi
Rathore
Scroll .in
Vaishnavi is a climate and land reporter at Scroll.in, where she has been delivering long-form, in-depth coverage for over two years. Prior to this, she served as the Environment Lead at The Bastion, a development media house, from 2019 to 2022. Her reporting is rooted in ground-level reportage, with stories focused on the impacts of climate change, land politics, and the challenges facing communities across India. She has traveled extensively to cover stories in regions such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Assam.
Trained as a public policy practitioner, Vaishnavi holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Governance from Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. Before transitioning to journalism, she worked with environmental NGOs like the Foundation for Ecological Security in Gujarat and Himdhara Environment Collective in Himachal Pradesh, focusing on governance of commons and the implementation of the Forest Rights Act.
Her journalism has earned multiple accolades, including the Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust’s Award for Development Journalism (2021), the Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity (2022), and first prize in PII-ICRC’s Best Article Award (2023). Vaishnavi has also received prestigious national and international reporting fellowships, including a Pulitzer Grant (2025) for her work on climate change, and has focused on women and land rights in Gujarat, as well as covering COP26.
Winning Work
On the Great Nicobar island, why the future is fearful
In her investigative piece, Vaishnavi Rathore delves into the profound concerns surrounding the Great Nicobar Island Development Project. The ambitious plan, aiming to transform the island into a global shipping hub, threatens the delicate balance of its indigenous communities and pristine ecosystems.
Rathore’s reporting highlights the voices of the Nicobarese people, who express apprehension about the project’s encroachment on their ancestral lands. Their deep connection to the land, rooted in generations of tradition, faces disruption as large-scale infrastructure threatens their way of life.
The article also sheds light on the Shompen tribe, an isolated indigenous group whose existence is at risk due to potential exposure to diseases and loss of habitat. Experts warn that the project’s implementation could lead to cultural erosion and even extinction for the Shompen.
Through meticulous ground reportage, Rathore paints a vivid picture of the challenges faced by these communities, urging readers to consider the human and ecological costs of unchecked development.