Celebrating Excellence: The AJC Awards 2025 Highlights

The second edition of the AJC+ Awards was successfully held on 12 November 2025 at Palm Spritz, Willingdon Catholic Gymkhana, Khar (West), Mumbai, bringing together distinguished voices from the fields of architecture, design, the arts, and academia. The Awards continue their mission of honouring Design. Distinction. Dialogue., celebrating individuals whose contributions have shaped contemporary cultural and design discourse.

This year’s ceremony recognised an exceptional group of awardees whose work spans art history, transcultural scholarship, sustainable design, literary creativity, architectural education, design research, and emerging talent.

2025 Awardees

---

Lifetime Achievement Award – Art History (Posthumous)

Charles Fabri

Honoured for his pioneering role in shaping postcolonial art criticism and building critical intellectual bridges between European and Indian artistic modernisms. His writings remain foundational in transcultural art historical studies. 

Transcultural Scholarship Award – Architectural History

Prof. Manu P. Sobti

Recognised for groundbreaking research on architectural exchanges across South and Central Asia, illuminating how migration, trade routes, and cultural flows shaped shared design traditions. 

Academic Achievement Award – Art & Aesthetics Education

Dr. Jaya Kanoria

For her visionary contributions to aesthetic education, championing creative literacy and integrating traditional practices with contemporary pedagogies to shape thoughtful, empathetic learners. 

Academic Achievement Award – Architecture

Prof. Suchetha Mathew

Honoured for her impactful role in architectural pedagogy, advancing critical thinking, research leadership, and student mentorship in design education. 

Excellence in Applied Origami Award – Design Pedagogy

Bob Vijayakkar

Awarded for pioneering origami-based teaching methodologies that cultivate spatial intelligence, material sensitivity, and tactile creativity within design education. 

Poet of Distinction Award – Literary Fiction

Rochelle Potkar

Recognised for a literary practice that intertwines space, memory, and emotion, extending architectural and design dialogue into poetic and narrative terrains. 

Environmental Leadership Award – Architecture

Dr. Roshni Udyavar

Celebrated for her leadership in sustainable architecture, community-engaged design, and environmental advocacy, promoting ecological consciousness within the built environment.

Design Research Award – Media Philosophy

Sneha Singh

Awarded for interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of media, materiality, and design philosophy, reshaping understandings of creativity and technological agency. 

Young Researcher Award – Design Communications

Twinkle Kataria

Honoured as an emerging research voice integrating storytelling, information design, and visual communication to make complex design knowledge accessible and engaging. 

Young Designer Award – Graphic Design

Saurav Bavalekar

Recognised for culturally sensitive yet visually bold design work that redefines the role of graphic design as a form of critical cultural practice. 

Lifetime Achievement Award – Architectural Academics

Prof. Akhtar Chauhan & Prof. Pradnya Chauhan

Honoured for their decades-long contribution to architectural education, research, mentorship, and institutional leadership, shaping generations of architects and elevating design pedagogy in India. 

A Celebration of Excellence and Dialogue

The AJC+ Awards 2025 reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to recognising excellence across disciplines and fostering global conversations on design, culture, and research. With its diverse range of honorees, this edition highlighted how creative practices—whether architectural, literary, pedagogical, or philosophical—collectively contribute to a richer and more reflective cultural landscape.