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Indian duo named finalists for Stringer journalism awards
Indian American founder Anjan Sundaram described the finalists as journalists operating with limited institutional backing while covering issues of public interest.
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Staff Reporter - Mon, 13, Apr 2026
- 04:59 EDT
- 20
Romita Saluja and Ahmer Khan / Wikipedia
Romita Saluja and Ahmer Khan are among the finalists for The Stringer Awards 2026, recognizing journalists working under difficult and often dangerous conditions.
Indian American founder Anjan Sundaram announced the 25 inaugural finalists on April 13, highlighting their work across regions marked by conflict, legal threats and financial instability. “We honor the 25 inaugural finalists of The Stringer Awards 2026 who have shown courage in the face of physical attacks, legal threats, and financial hardship,” Sundaram said.
He described the finalists as journalists operating with limited institutional backing while covering issues of public interest. “These reporters are the last line of accountability, working on the frontlines, often receiving litle institutional support or public recognition,” he said. He added that even those with staff positions “go above and beyond to report from dangerous places in the public interest.”
Saluja, named in the senior journalist category, is an independent journalist based in India. Her reporting focuses on gender, development, health, labor and human rights. Her work has appeared in publications including The Guardian, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, BBC, Al Jazeera and others.
Her recent work has been supported by fellowships and grants from organizations such as the Population Reference Bureau, One World Media, the International Center for Journalists, the Thomson Reuters Foundation and the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. She was also a 2025 Chevening South Asia Journalism Fellow at the University of Westminster in London.
Saluja has received multiple awards for her reporting. In 2024, her investigation into India’s mining industry, published with The Guardian Long Read, won Save the Children’s Global Media Award. She was also longlisted for One World Media’s Journalist of the Year Award 2025 and the One World Media Awards 2023.
Ahmer Khan, named in the emerging journalist category, is an independent multimedia journalist based in Kashmir. His work focuses on conflict, humanitarian crises, migration and human rights in South Asia.
Khan began his journalism career as a freelancer in 2014, with work appearing in Al Jazeera. In 2015, he traveled to Nepal to cover the earthquake that killed more than 8,000 people.
His reporting includes coverage of issues such as the decline of Kolkata’s tram system, humanitarian conditions in Assam and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. His work has appeared in outlets including Vice, The Guardian, TRT World and The Intercept.
Sundaram said the finalists “set the global standard for courageous journalism,” adding that The Stringer Foundation aims to support their safety, outreach and stability.
The winners of The Stringer Awards 2026 will be announced in November. Applications for the 2027 awards will open in September.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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