Winner

Steven D'Souza of CBC

Corruption, Crime & Cricket Canada

Judges' comments: "The reporter was persistent in trying to talk to everyone involved and met multiple sources, asking hard questions even when many were openly hostile. It was tough to take a break from watching because it felt like you needed to know who else he would talk to and what the subjects would then say."

Finalists

Jeffrey Gettleman, Hari Kumar, Atul Loke, Agnes Chang and Pablo Robles of The New York Times

“How Did the C.I.A. Lose a Nuclear Device?”

Rick Noack, Alex Horton, Haq Nawaz Khan and Shaiq Hussain of The Washington Post

“The Afterlife of a U.S. Arsenal”

Winner

Aditya Kalra, Munsif Vengattil and Arpan Chaturvedi of Reuters

“India vs Big Tech: How Modi’s government squared off with the world’s tech giants over control of devices, data and speech”

Judges' comments: "India vs Big Tech was our clear, unanimous winner, and a standout on every one of the SAJA criteria. It is well-researched, exclusive and important, and it appears to have more and better material than anything else published on the subject. The exclusivity was striking: the reporters broke news that had never been reported before, and did it with depth. The volume of documentation and sourcing behind the work was impressive, along with the ability to tie the coverage to the larger theme of Indian policy and politics so that the reader understands why it matters."

Finalists

Ramishah Maruf of CNN

“He was a truck driver for 20 years. With new Trump rules, he’s off the road”

Parth MN of Rest of World

“Death of an Indian tech worker”

Winner

Hasan Ali of The Nation

“Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Voice From the Past”

Judges' comments: "A compelling, deeply informed story that uses the discovery of a previously unreleased Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan album as an entry point into his legacy. The article stood out for its confident writing, strong reporting, and command of its subject matter."

Finalists

None

Winner

Niha Masih of The Washington Post

“India-Pakistan conflict: From the line of control to the corridors of power”

Judges' comments: "We applaud the reporter's initiative to go to the remote areas and speak to the families who were directly impacted by the crossfire of war. The voices and lesser-reported facts were highly compelling. The rare access, combined with the empathetic approach and engaging style from start to finish makes this our top pick."

Finalists

Aliya Bashir of The Conversationalist

“Guardians of the Mangroves”

Sadiqur Rahman of Mongabay

“How South Asia's agriculture is shifting with changing climate”

Winner

Lok Darjee of The Guardian

A refugee’s deportation rattles a deeply conservative town: ‘What Trump has done is not Christlike’

‘I feel like a ghost’: new father deported by ICE to Bhutan that exiled his family

‘It broke our home’: family demands answers after death of man abandoned by US border agents

Judges' comments: "Excellent journalism brings the reader into the subject’s world. It's a difficult task, more so when the subject is a sensitive topic. Lok Darjee with The Guardian perfectly showcased how to achieve this with his pieces about how the Trump administration and an emboldened ICE are targeting refugees. Each individual article drew us into the subject’s world, clearly outlining not just what happened, but how these individuals’ deportations and detentions are affecting the communities they leave behind. These articles are deeply sourced, empathetically written and clearly presented. It's clear the reporter has earned the trust of his sources."

Finalists

Imtiaz Tyab of CBS News

Inside Afghanistan more than 3 years after U.S. withdrawal

Afghan OB-GYN warns women will die without next generation of female nurses and midwives

Taliban refuses to hand back U.S. military hardware but says Afghanistan is "open" for business

Haleema Shah of PRX, UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics

Altered States: Was it DMT? Or was it heaven?

Winner

Tanka Dhakal of The Xylom

“Nepal's Air Got More Toxic During Gen-Z Protests”

Judges' comments: "This was a well-told package spotlighting a problem that has implications beyond Nepal. We applaud dhakal for showing the link between air quality issues in Nepal and those in the United States. The writer made good use of statistics, personal anecdotes and facts to tell the story. The article also had stunning art and packaging. 'I was engaged with the story all the way through,' said one judge."

Finalists

Duaa e Zahra Shah of Prism

“Across New York, educators socioemotionally support their newly arrived students”

Atmika Iyer of The Fulcrum

“In North Carolina, the Tamil Call To Recognize Genocide in Sri Lanka Stirs American Politicians”

Winner

Aparna Ganesan

“The Hidden Losses of India’s Solar Parks”

Judges' comments: "A powerful portrait of the displacement caused by green projects, capturing the tension between the urgency of the climate crisis and the consequences of pursuing climate solutions. Brings visibility to environmental and human costs that are often overlooked or obscured in narratives of green progress. The story is driven by engaging participants whose personal experiences give the broader issue emotional resonance and immediacy. The multiple perspectives, without prescribing a conclusion, creates space for viewers to consider nuances of both sides. The journalist did an excellent job of seamlessly taking the viewer on an immersive journey to hear first hand accounts from those impacted without distracting from the overall storytelling of a complex issue. We also feel it is crucial to highlight this story because the heaviest burdens of the climate crisis are being borne by individuals and communities who contribute the least to the problem yet face the worst of its consequences."

Finalists

Amar Shah & Rahul Rohatgi

“The Patel Motel Story”