May 5, 2026
THIMPHU – Coinciding with World Press Freedom Day, the 10th Annual Journalism Awards 2026 were held yesterday in Thimphu.
Of the total of 28 awards, 18 were for print, one for radio, five for television, and four for digital journalism. The awards also included the Most Promising Young Journalist of the Year.
The country’s journalism fraternity came together to celebrate the Annual Journalism Awards (AJA), honouring exceptional work across print, broadcast, and digital media platforms.
Gracing the occasion as chief guest was the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Employment, Namgyal Dorji, accompanied by the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Chandra Bahadur Gurung, the Opposition Leader Pema Chewang, and other distinguished guests.
This year’s awards were organised by the Journalists’ Association of Bhutan (JAB) in collaboration with the Department of Media, Creative Industry and Intellectual Property under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment through the Economic Stimulus Plan (ESP).
The event recognised journalistic excellence in diverse reporting categories, showcasing the growing depth and diversity of Bhutanese media.
In the broadcast category, Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) journalist Phuntsho Namgyal was named TV Host of the Year and Talk Show of the Year.
The TV News Story of the Year award went to Karma Wangdi, while the Documentary of the Year (Dzongkha) was awarded to Namgyel Wangchuk. The Cameraman of the Year in the television category was awarded to Chundu Lham, Pema Dorji, and Dechen Penjour of BBS Channel 3.
In radio, the Radio Programme of the Year was awarded to Leela Raika of BBS.
In the print segment, The Bhutanese editor Tenzing Lamsang bagged two major honours—Business Story of the Year and Investigative Story of the Year.
The Bhutanese journalist Tshering Dema bagged two honours—the Crime Story of the Year and the Women and Children Story of the Year. Monika Rai won the Climate Change Story of the Year, while the Disability Story of the Year went to Chencho Dema, also from the same media house.
Kezang Choden of Bhutan Today was awarded for Climate Change and Environmental Reporting in print, while the digital category went to freelancer Dechen Wangdi.
Kuensel dominated with 13 awards across several categories:
- The Editorial of the Year went to Kuensel’s Managing Editor Kinley Tshering.
- The Agriculture/Food Security Story of the Year and the Climate Change and Environmental Reporting Story of the Year went to Yam Kumar Poudel.
- The Visual Editor of the Year in the television category and the Health Story of the Year awards went to Neten Dorji.
- The Environment Story of the Year went to Ugyen Dorji.
- The Documentary of the Year (English) went to Karma Kezang.
- The Photo Story of the Year went to Sonam Phuntsho.
- The Climate Change and Environmental Reporting Story of the Year went to Chencho Dema.
- The Civil Society Story of the Year went to Dorji Choden.
- The Culture Story of the Year went to Thinley Namgay.
- The Feature Story of the Year went to Jigme Wangdi.
The awards also spotlighted emerging voices in Bhutanese media. Yam Kumar Poudel of Kuensel was recognised as the Most Promising Young Journalist of the Year, while Tandin Tshering from Samuh received the Social Media Journalism Award, highlighting the rising influence of digital storytelling in the country.
Adding to the event, JAB launched its annual report and Bhutan Press Mirror.
Now in its 10th edition, the Annual Journalism Awards continue to celebrate and promote journalistic integrity, inspiring a new generation of reporters, storytellers, and media professionals in Bhutan.