Four Indian-American journalists, including Rupsa Chakraborty, honored with Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award
NEWYORK:- Four science communicators of Indian origin—Rupsa Chakraborty, Atish Bhatia, Harini Bhat, and Anand Varma—have been honored with the 2026 Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication.
The award, announced by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in partnership with Schmidt Sciences, recognizes journalists, research scientists, and science communicators.
Bhatia, a science journalist with The New York Times, has been honored with the top award in the ‘Early Career’ category.
According to the National Academies, Bhatia utilizes interactive graphics, data visualization, and custom-built tools to help audiences explore scientific concepts.
Harini Bhat was honored with the top award in the ‘Science Communicator: Organizational’ category for work published through “Today I Learned Science.”
Her vision of making topics such as women’s health and emerging biotechnologies accessible through digital storytelling has been recognized by the National Academies.
Verma, a science photographer at Wonderlab, has been declared the winner in the ‘Science Communicator: Organizational’ category. The National Academies stated that Verma’s work was recognized for using photography and visual experimentation to reveal the beauty and complexity of the natural world.
Chakraborty was honored in the ‘Science Journalist: Independent (Freelancer)’ category.
The four award-winning communicators represent diverse styles of science communication: journalism that provides in-depth analysis of scientific issues; interactive explanations that inspire exploration; digital content that connects research to everyday life; and photography that gives a visual form to scientific developments.
The winners will be honored in Washington, D.C., from November 17 to 20.
