The Press Council of India has been mandated by an Act of Parliament to improve standards of journalism and maintain Press freedom. To encourage media to pursue their duties the Press Council of India, as the only statutory authority enjoying such mandate, has instituted National Awards to honour, on the occasion of National Press Day, November, 16, journalists/photo-journalists (including freelancers) excelling in print journalism in various fields. The Press Council of India invites entries by 30th September, 2015 from Newspapers/News Agencies/Freelancers to recognize outstanding contribution of journalists/photo-journalists of Indian nationality in print journalism. The Awards carry (i)cash award, (2) plaque/citation. The Awards are in five following categories: 1. Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Award for Excellence in Journalism: Rs. One Lakh; 2. Rural Journalism and Developmental Reporting, 3. Investigative Journalism 4.Photo Journalism { (i) Single News Picture and (ii) Photo Feature} and 5. Best Newspapers Art: covering cartoons, caricatures and illustrations: Rs. Fifty Thousand each.

http://presscouncil.nic.in/WriteReadData/Pdf/NationalAward.pdf

http://presscouncil.nic.in/WriteReadData/Pdf/UpdatedNationalAwards.pdf