The first edition of the PR League India competition was nothing short of brutal, but these 10 standout teams managed to cut through the noise. Here’s a look at the bright minds leading the next generation of Indian PR.
AviaNaaris — AVIAN We. (81.2/100), Gold Winner
Sumedha Kanwar, Account Manager | LinkedIn and Monika Singh, Sr. Account Manager | LinkedIn
Tying for the absolute top spot, Sumedha and Monika showcased exactly why strategic thinking and airtight media relations are a winning combination. In the live crisis simulation challenge 9 ( fighting disinformation about a mobile brand catching fire), the judges praised their "excellent overall performance," noting they were "very impressed with the planning, and the social media responses which were personalised and empathetic".
Moving to the B2C case study challenge about repositioning a legacy clothing brand for Gen Z, their presentation won because "the core idea was great" and "very creatively pitched". Finally, for the B2B challenge ( creating trust for an AI-enabled MSME management system), their "very creative approach" stood out, with judges specifically liking "the theme of CertAInity and that the CEO was given an identity"
Desi Girls — Adfactors PR (81.2/100) Gold Winner
Dhara Sangoi, Assistant Account Manager | LinkedIn Mokshada Deshmukh, Assistant Account Manager | LinkedIn
Sharing the number one spot are the Desi Girls. For the live crisis simulation session, the jury highlighted their "excellent performance, particularly on social media where they showed real empathy".
During the B2C challenge, their work was described as "overall well packaged," effectively blending "the traditional and new-age".
They closed strong in the B2B challenge, where their "Glassbox concept, Reliability Index, Trust Ledger, and Playbook particularly stood out as truly innovative and reflective of strong strategic depth".
PR Warriors — Value360 Communications (80.6/100), Silver Winner
Rahul Mohanto, Associate Account Manager, LinkedIn and Aishwarya J Badan, Account Director, LinkedIn
This is a team that really fought hard throughout. In Stage 2, they delivered a "really strong strategy and messaging with a fantastic level of detail". By Stage 3, they continued to impress the jury with their "good thought process and creative ideas".
Their dedication peaked in Stage 4, where judges noted "the research is well done, and the effort to step into the field and conduct on-ground research really stands out"
Standout moment- Rahul actually went to an MSME factory to research their B2B case study challenge!
The PRnomads — Jajabor Brand Consultancy (80.6/100), Silver Winner
Manisha Halder, Associate Account Manager, LinkedIn, and Rahul Pathak, Associate Manager-PR LinkedIn
Coming out of a boutique consultancy, Manisha and Rahul completely dismantled the idea that you need a massive agency backing to run with the big dogs. Their Stage 2 performance was an "excellent overall performance" where the "strategy was very strong" and effectively considered their "internal audience". In Stage 3, they proved their strategic depth with a "great digital plan" and "good insights and research". During Stage 4, the judges commended their "clear and structured articulation of the problem statement, supported by thoughtful audience segmentation"
Don't be Shreyzy! — Godrej Industries Group (79/100)
Shreya Singh, Corporate Brand and Communications Professional | LinkedIn and Shreyoshee Halder, Brand & Corporate Communications Professional LinkedIn
Representing the in-house crowd, Shreya and Shreyoshee brought serious corporate comms firepower to the league. During Stage 2, they presented a "really excellent strategy, including complete stakeholder map prioritised by urgency and influence".
The jury "liked their presentation a lot both in terms of understanding the brief and the creativity of ideas" in Stage 3. In Stage 4, the judges loved how "the entire concept was rooted in trust," calling their work "pragmatic, creative and well researched.
JaanBoochKe — ON PURPOSE Consulting (78.8/100) 4/10
Tulsi Kapoor, Manager, Content & Storytelling , LinkedIn and Chandrasekar Periagaram, Senior Manager, Content & Storytelling , LinkedIn
In a competition often dominated by traditional PR tactics, Tulsi and Chandrasekar flipped the script as storytelling specialists. In the crisis simulation stage judges praised their "excellent overall performance," specifically noting they were the "only team to spot the post on Flipper from Associated Press".
For the B2C stage, they delivered a "very detailed [campaign] with good tactics deployed". By the B2B stage, their distinct "storytelling approach was innovative and creative.
Lock & Key — Adfactors PR (78.4/100) 6/10
Nikhil Punshi, Associate Director, LinkedIn and Hena Chawla, Account Manager, LinkedIn
Lock & Key found their sweet spot by balancing high-level strategic oversight with grounded, hands-on account management. During the crisis management challenge, judges were "very impressed with the team's overall strategic approach and particularly with the misinformation strategy".
For the B2B challenge, their plan was "well researched and well thought through with practical interventions," notably using WhatsApp for MSME industry outreach.
Spin Doctors — Edelman (77.4/100), 6/10
Shruti Palavajjhala, Account Manager, LinkedIn and Pragati Kandpal, Senior Account Manager, LinkedIn
Living up to their moniker, Shruti and Pragati were absolute naturals at shaping narratives. In Stage 2, they delivered an "excellent performance, particularly on social media where you showed real empathy". For Stage 3, they demonstrated "excellent plan and thinking" with a "good use of POEMS and holistic measurement". In Stage 4, their approach remained "well thought through and researched with good ideas for industry engagement"
The Boyz — Ruder Finn (73.8/100), 7/10
Kushal Shah, Account Manager, LinkedIn and Saksham Gupta, Account Manager, LinkedIn
Kushal and Saksham brought an infectious energy and PR fundamentals to every challenge. During the B2C challenge, the judges noted it was "great to see the connection between the team members".
Standout moment: For B2B, their "phased approach" was praised for utilising a "mix of earned media, owned IP (podcast), and peer validation via KOL. Also have to mention their slightly cheeky confidence that charmed the judges!
The Comms Crew — Value360 Group (73/100), 8/10
Ayush Bhardwaj, Manager Public Relations, LinkedIn and Anshuka Duggal, PR Manager - Client Servicing, LinkedIn
The Comms Crew delivered a "strong overall performance" by smartly considering their "post-crisis recovery plan" for the crisis comms challenge. Their B2C presentation showed excellent detail, with judges noting "the granularity of the campaign was noteworthy".
Pitch Perfect — Edelman India ( 71.6/100), 9/10
Rhea Sachdev, Account Manager, LinkedIn and Vasu Sharma, PR Manager - Senior Account Manager, LinkedIn
Representing Edelman, the Pitch Perfect team showed precision and adaptability.
For the crisis challenge, the judges were "very impressed with the team's misinformation strategy, which was extremely thorough," adding that they were "very strong on social media, too, posting regular updates and responding to individuals."
Their B2B submission highlighted that their "research is strong and methodical, providing a clear foundation for the campaign," and that their use of "credible third-party validation adds weight to the PR approach."
Ripple Effect- WRI India (71.2), 10/10
Satbhan Singh, Senior Associate, LinkedIn and Vaibhav Pahel, Program Communications Associate - Energy, LinkedIn
Bringing the unique perspectives from the non-profit and sustainability sector, Ripple Effect made major waves throughout the league.
Standout moment: Satbhan wore a kurta made out of his mother's sari for the presentation.
In Stage 2 (crisis comms), they were commended for a "great" strategy document, with judges particularly liking "the emotional response strategy." Their Stage 3 (B2C) performance was a hit, with the jury stating they "loved the accent on heritage and repurposing as core ideas, highlighting preservation and sustainability," and noted that the "gender fluidity in the campaign was an added plus."
Our partners have voiced strong support for PRLeague's mission:
Vineet Handa, founder & CEO of Kaizzen, stated, "Change in our industry is rapid and relentless. In such a dynamic environment, PR League, an initiative by PRmoment India for young PR professionals stands out as a milestone platform. The format challenges emerging talent to adapt, up skill, and master the tricks of the trade from industry experts, mentors and even their own peers. It was wonderful to see how structured and well thought out each of the four rounds of assessment was. From the launch, it has been a few intense months for all the participants and for all of us who have been following the scoreboard after every round. Many congratulations to the winners, and a huge shoutout to all the participants, the scores were very close and that itself speaks about the volume of talent in the industry. And of course, congratulations to PRmoment, Paarul and Ben for conceptualising and executing this so seamlessly. As always Kaizzen is proud to support the initiative.”
Neha Mehrotra, managing director of Avian We. said, "PR League India is the kind of initiative our profession needs more of. It brings discipline, competition and real scrutiny into the learning curve of young practitioners. What impressed me the most is the seriousness with which teams have approached the process. The level of thought, preparation and clarity has been heartening. If this is the standard this generation is setting for itself, the future of our profession is in safe hands."
"It’s been energising to support PRL India and see the calibre of emerging talent. One learning I’d offer is to spend more time questioning a brief before solving it. Real-world communications demands pushback, clarity and alignment. That’s how you set yourself up for success", says Arpana Kumar Ahuja, EVP & head, corporate brand & communications, Jindal Steel.
"The PR League is a vital bridge turning India's bright PR talent into tomorrow's confident, homegrown industry leaders. It was thrilling to witness teams transform nervous energy into award-winning strategies", says Girish Balachandran, founder, ON PURPOSE
Thanks to our PRLeague India partners:
Kaizzen -Presenting Sponsor
Avian We. -Gold Sponsor
Godrej - Gold Sponsor
Jindal Steel- Strategic Knowledge Partner
ON PURPOSE - Bronze Partner
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