India Currents delivered an outstanding performance at the 2026 California Journalism Awards (CJA), notching up a record 17 top honors across 18 categories. The achievement sets a new record for India Currents at CJA, surpassing last year’s impressive tally of wins in 11 categories.
In the June 22 CJA announcement, 16 India Currents journalists were named winners, reflecting the newsroom’s significant impact and journalistic achievement.
The California Journalism Awards (CJA), presented by the California News Publishers Association (CNPA), recognize outstanding achievement in journalism across the state. Honoring excellence in reporting, design, photography, and multimedia storytelling, the awards spotlight the work of news organizations, recognizing journalism that informs, engages, and enlightens communities throughout California.
This year’s finalists “represent some of the strongest work produced in newsrooms across the state this past year. From watchdog reporting to compelling storytelling, these entries highlight the depth, creativity, and impact of California journalism at its best,’ said CNPA in their June 4th announcement.
India Currents received the General Excellence Award in its division. This recognition is given to publications that achieve top honors across multiple award categories. The India Currents Editorial Team also received the Public Service Journalism award for their Immigration coverage, for ‘compelling coverage of a vital community issue.’
Our awards included 5 first-place finishes, 2 second-place awards, 4 third-place awards, 6 fourth-place placements, and 1 fifth-place finish.
Congratulations to all honorees!
General Excellence – 1st Place
India Currents
Columns – 1st Place
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Truth About Desi Health
Anjana Nagarajan-Butaney: ‘Bay Area High Schoolers Struggle A Lot,’ Say South Asian Students About The Gen Z Mental Health Crisis
Beyond The Hot Flash! What Every Woman Should Know About Menopause & Hormone Therapy
Tourism/Travel Writing – 1st Place
Journeys Through India: Roots, Rituals, and Reinvention
Pravallika Soubandi: Indian Stepwells: Ancient Oases Of Art & Ingenuity
Deepanwita Gita Niyogi: A Day In Shimla, Chasing The Phantom Rickshaw
Immigration Reporting – 1st Place
Immigration Crackdowns & Consequences
Alakananda Mookerji: Racial Profiling & Immigration Crackdowns Strike Fear in Immigrant Communities Across America
Legality To Illegality: How Lawful Immigrants Are Reclassified As “Unauthorized
Meera Kymal: Who Gets Deported In The United States & Why?
Religion and Faith Writing – 1st Place
Between Mantra and Modern Life
Jyoti Nadhani: When Success Isn’t Enough
Sweta Vikram: Modern Burnout, Ancient Solutions
Vijay Rajvaidya: My Padayatra: A Walk Of Life Tracing The Footsteps Of Adi Shankaracharya
Film & TV Writing – 2nd Place
Bulbul Mankani Dosanjh: Little Jaffna: How Immigration & Memory Fuse In Modern Europe
Writing – 2nd Place
Vignesh Ramachandran: When Authenticity Is Performative; Why Gatekeeping On “Cultural Authenticity” Can Be Problematic
Arts and Entertainment – 3rd Place
Anushka Iyer: Bharatnatyam Found Me & I Found My Rhythm Again
Artistic Photo – 3rd Place
Hari Adivarekar: Creating the face of a Kathakali dancer for the Battery Dance Festival
Fine Arts Writing/Reporting – 3rd Place
Srishti Prabha: Dancing With Defiance: ‘Mehfil’ Blends Queer Cabaret & South Asian Tradition
Social Media Innovation Award – 3rd Place
Prachi Singh: Rooted
Public Service Journalism – 4th Place
This Immigrant Life
IC Editorial Team
Investigative Reporting – 4th Place
Scars of Migration
Tanay Gokhale
Health Reporting – 4th Place
Caring Across Generations: Aging & Health in Desi Families
Snigdha Sen: Family Caregiving Can Get Lonely – It Doesn’t Have To Be
Riya Sharma: Indian Immigrants In Florida Are Growing Old In Ways Their Parents Never Did
Andy Chetipalli: I Can Finally Have a Big Sister
Online Story Presentation Page – 4th Place
Layout & Design
Agricultural Reporting – 4th Place
Avery Cruz: Cultivating Saffron & Community In Santa Clara Valley
Feature Photo – 4th Place
Prachi Singh: “As You Are,” a dance-theatre work on Sept. 12, BAM House, Oakland
Fine Arts Writing/Reporting – 5th Place
Meera Kymal & Anuj Chakrapani
The Mahabharata Comes To Lincoln Center, NY: An Interview With Ellora Patnaik
FINALISTS
These writers were recognized as finalists in several categories.
Feature Story
Amruta Kosuru: From Temple Towns To Brooklyn Studios: How Kalamkari Travels Between Worlds
In Depth Reporting
Tanay Gokhale: Scars of Migration
Arts & Entertainment Coverage
Meera Kymal: William Dalrymple On ‘The Golden Road’: How Ancient India Shaped The World
Food Writing/Reporting
Chai, Chutney, Masala
Sweta Vikram: Masala Chai & Memory
Gita Baliga-Savel: Baked In: Layers Of Caring Connections Infuse Hetal Vasavada’s ‘Milk and Cardamom’ Brand
Twisha Khokani: The Teen Who Served Fries & Stories
