Eleven journalists were today chosen for the first ever 'national awards for excellence in journalism' instituted by the Press Council of India.

Damyanti Datta of India Today and Priyanka Dubey of Tehelka bagged certificate of excellence for Investigative Journalism.

Photo-journalist Kamal Kishore of the Press Trust of India, New Delhi has bagged certificate of excellence for his photograph of farmers at work.

No entry, however, could qualify for the top honour 'Raja Ram Mohan Roy Award' which carries cash award of Rs one lakh, said a statement issued by PCI.

R Sambhan of Deshabhimani, Thiruvananthapuram was chosen for the award for rural journalism while Rajesh Parshuram Joshte of 'Lokmat' Ratnagiri bagged 'stree shakti' award for reporting on women's issues.

Similarly, Razia Begum of 'The Echo of India' Port Blair has got the certificate of excellence.

Biplab Banerjee of The Asian Age New, New Delhi, Lattur Rathinam Shankar of The Times of India, Chennai and Partha Paul of The Indian Express, Kolkata won the awards in the photo journalism category.

In photo feature category, Sanjoy Ghosh of The Telegraph, Kolkata was selected for the award. Likewise, freelancer from Mumbai Zishaan Akbar Latif has been chosen for certificate of excellence.

The awards will be conferred by former chief justice of India M N Venkatachaliah on November 16 on the occasion of National Press Day. PCI has instituted the awards to encourage ethical and responsible journalism.