AP government revives journalist awards after eight years

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to revive prestigious journalist awards for outstanding contributions to the media sector after a gap of nearly eight years. The awards will be presented for the year 2025-26, CR Media Academy Chairman Alapati Suresh Kumar announced on Wednesday.Addressing a press conference at the Media Academy office in city along with information and public relations director K S Viswanathan, Suresh Kumar said the government had constituted a four-member committee to oversee the selection and presentation of the awards.The committee includes former India Today editor A A V Prasad, Andhra Kesari University in-charge vice-chancellor prof D V R Murthy, retired high court judge justice Satyanarayana Murthy and information department director K S Viswanathan as member convener. Officials said a total of 12 awards would be presented as per earlier guidelines issued during united Andhra Pradesh. While some awards will be decided directly by the committee, applications will be invited for others.The lifetime achievement award will carry a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh, while best journalist and best photo journalist awards will include Rs 2 lakh each. The remaining awards will carry prize money of Rs 1 lakh each.The chairman clarified that minimum professional experience, and not accreditation status, would be the basis for eligibility. Officials said detailed guidelines and application deadlines would be announced shortly, with the award presentation likely to take place in July.