Govt. revives annual journalism awards in Andhra Pradesh

The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to present awards to outstanding journalists for the year 2025-26 in recognition of excellence in the field of journalism, according to Alapati Suresh Kumar, Chairman of the C.R. Media Academy.

Addressing a press conference along with I&PR Department Director K.S. Viswanathan here on Wednesday, Mr. Suresh Kumar said the government had constituted a four-member committee, which he heads, to oversee the selection and presentation of the awards.

The other members of the committee were former Editor of India Today A.A.V. Prasad, Andhra Kesari University in-charge Vice-Chancellor D.V.R. Murthy, and retired High Court judge Satyanarayana Murthy. Mr. Viswanathan is its member-convener.

Mr. Suresh Kumar said 12 awards would be presented in accordance with the orders issued in unified Andhra Pradesh. Some awardees would be selected directly by the committee, while applications would be invited for others.

Cash prize

The Lifetime Achievement Award carries a cash prize of ₹3 lakh, while the Best Journalist and Best Photo Journalist awards carry ₹2 lakh each. The remaining awards would carry a prize money of ₹1 lakh each. Detailed guidelines, eligibility criteria and application deadline would be announced soon, he said.

Mr. Viswanathan said the government was committed to reviving the tradition that had been discontinued after 2017. The awards were likely to be presented in July.