IIMCAA Honors Outstanding Alumni at 14th Connections Meet
The Indian Institute of Mass Communication Alumni Association (IIMCAA) hosted its 14th Connections Meet in New Delhi on Saturday evening, where the winners of the 10th IIMCAA Awards 2026 were officially announced. The ceremony recognized a diverse group of alumni who have demonstrated exceptional achievement across media, public relations, broadcasting, and social service sectors. Winners received cash prizes ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹1.5 lakh, along with trophies and certificates of recognition.
Jury Award Winners Recognized Across Media Categories
In the jury category, Soumya Pillai was named Journalist of the Year. The agriculture beat saw Lakshmi Devi Aire honored as Agriculture Reporter of the Year, while Safina Wani took home the Reporter of the Year (Publishing) award and Medha Yadav earned the Reporter of the Year (Broadcast) distinction.
Mohammad Asad was recognized as Producer of the Year (Broadcast). Excellence in regional language journalism was celebrated with Saurabh Kumar Bora receiving the Indian Language Reporter of the Year (Publishing) award and Alpesh Arvind Karkare earning the Indian Language Reporter of the Year (Broadcast) title.
In the digital video space, Tanzeel Asif was honored as Independent Reporter of the Year. Hasleen Kaur received the Ad Person of the Year award, while Panchanan Mishra was named PR Person of the Year. The jury also issued special mentions to Garima Singh, Nanda Kishore, and Gargi Satpathy for their noteworthy contributions.
Committee Awards Celebrate Service and Dedication
The committee category recognized Chandan Rai and Abhinav Pandey as Alumni of the Year. Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Milan Vohra, Lipika Sood, Pradeep Kumar Mallick, Sangeeta Thakur, and Mitali Mohanty Ghosh.
Several distinguished professionals were honored in the Public Service category, including IAS officer Suresh Kumar Vashisht, IPS officer Virendra Mishra, along with Kapil Sharma, Kumar Abhishek, Prerana Prasad, and Ankita Sahu.
The Connecting Alumni of the Year award went to Anand Kumar Dutta and Madhav Sharma. Maharashtra and Bihar were jointly recognized as Connecting Chapters of the Year, while the Samosa Party group of IIMC thinkers received the Connecting Group of the Year honor.
The IIMC Pillar Award was conferred upon Ramesh Muniyappa, Manoj Kumar, Prasad Sanyal, Arvind Kumar, and Edjarila Delidia Fanai, who received the honor posthumously.
Golden and Silver Jubilee Honors
The ceremony also marked significant milestones in alumni journeys. M.C. Joshi, who graduated from IIMC five decades ago, was presented with the Golden Jubilee honor. Additionally, 74 alumni who completed their studies 25 years ago received Silver Jubilee recognition.
During the event, the commemorative souvenir was officially released by IIMCAA President Sushil Singh (IAS), General Secretary Atul Gupta, former presidents Kalyan Ranjan and Simrat Gulati, Prasad Sanyal, and souvenir editor Santosh Oraon.
Distinguished Guests and Future Plans
The gathering was attended by several prominent figures, including former IIMC Director General K.G. Suresh, retired bureaucrats Amarendra Khatua and Amitabh Verma, Rajesh Malik, and numerous senior journalists and alumni who traveled from across India and abroad to participate in the celebrations.
Organizers shared that Connections Meet events will continue at the chapter level in various cities both domestically and internationally over the coming two to three months. These regional gatherings aim to further strengthen the alumni network and foster deeper connections among IIMC graduates worldwide.
