Exonian Anuj Mishra wins Philip Geddes Memorial Prize for journalism
Exeter student Anuj Mishra (2022, English), a finalist this year, has been awarded the Philip Geddes Memorial Prize for his work in student journalism. As a former Editor-in-Chief of Oxford’s oldest student-run newspaper, Cherwell, and an intern at the Manchester Evening News, My London, and The Bolton News, Anuj’s achievement is well deserved.
The prize, awarded by St. Edmund Hall, honours Philip Geddes, an alumnus and promising journalist who was killed in an IRA bombing in 1983. Alongside the Memorial Prize, the Geddes Prizes for student journalism include the Ronnie Payne Prize for Foreign Reporting, the Clive Taylor Prize for Sports Journalism, and the Paddy Coulter Prize for Opinion Journalism. This year, these were awarded to Simar Bajaj (St Anne’s), Samantha Martin (Somerville), and Flora Prideaux (Somerville), respectively. Each recipient will receive funding to support a journalistic project or internship in the media. The award ceremony also featured a lecture on ‘Trump 2.0. What America’s rabbit holes tell us about the future’ by award-winning journalist and podcaster Gabriel Gatehouse, who presented the students with their prizes.
For his winning project, Anuj will travel to the United States to examine the influence of Indian-American nationals on US politics and the connections between India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and America’s Republican Party. He plans to interview American organisers for the BJP by attending fundraising events and celebrations. For example, Anuj mentions events celebrating ‘the building of the controversial Ram Temple, which was built on the site of a razed sixteenth-century mosque at the behest of the BJP.’ He aims to explore the motivations behind Indian-American political engagement, particularly the ideological overlaps that led to joint rallies such as the 2019 ‘Howdy Modi’ event in Houston and the 2020 ‘Namaste Trump’ tour in Gujarat, India.
Reflecting on the award, Anuj said: ‘I am immensely honoured to have won the Geddes Memorial Prize. Student journalism has been an important part of my university life, bringing with it stress and excitement in equal measures. As I look forward to a career in journalism after graduation, the prize has been a wonderful vote of confidence in the journalistic work I’ve carried out while at Oxford.’
Exeter College congratulates Anuj on his success and wishes him the best of luck for his upcoming project.
Anuj Mishra with The Principle of St Edmund Hall and Gabriel Gatehouse
