Sahitya Akademi Award 2025 Winners List: Key Highlights and Categories

The Sahitya Akademi Award 2025 was officially announced on 16 March 2026, recognising outstanding literary works across 24 Indian languages. Presented annually by Sahitya Akademi, this prestigious award celebrates excellence in Indian literature across genres such as poetry, novels, essays, memoirs, and short stories. The awards were conferred at a formal ceremony in New Delhi on 31 March 2026.

About Sahitya Akademi Award

• Established in 1954
• Presented by Sahitya Akademi
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Recognises outstanding literary works in Indian languages
• Includes genres like novels, poetry, essays, and short stories

Key Functions:

• Promotion of literature
• Publication and translation of works
• Organizing literary events and seminars
• Supporting regional languages

Key Highlights of Sahitya Akademi Award 2025

The award is considered India’s highest literary honour for writers in regional languages.

Categories and Distribution of of Sahitya Akademi Award 2025

The Sahitya Akademi Award 2025 reflects the diversity of Indian literature through multiple categories:

• Poetry – 8 awards
• Novels – 4 awards
• Short Stories – 6 awards
• Essays – 2 awards
• Literary Criticism – 1 award
• Autobiography – 1 award
• Memoirs – 2 awards

Insight: Poetry continues to dominate, showing its deep cultural roots in Indian literature.

Sahitya Akademi Award 2025 Winners List (Category-wise)

Poetry Winners

• Bengali – Shrestha Kabita – Prasun Bandyopadhyay
• Gujarati – Bhattkhadaki – Yogesh Vaidya
• Odia – Padapurana – Girijakumar Baliyar Singh
• Telugu – Animesha – Nandini Sidha Reddy
• Urdu – Safar Jaari Hai – Pritpal Singh Betab
• Sanskrit – Prasthanacatustaye Brahmaghosah – Sadhu Bhadreshdas

Novel Winners

• Assamese – Karhi Khelar Sadhu – Devabrat Das
• Bodo – Dwngnwi Lama Mwnse Gathwn – Sahaisuli Brahma
• English – Crimson Spring – Navtej Sarna
• Malayalam – Maayaamanushyar – N. Prabhakaran

Short Story Winners

• Kannada – Dada Seerisu Tande – Amaresh Nugadoni
• Punjabi – Safety Kit – Jinder
• Rajasthani – Bharkhama – Jitender Kumar Soni
• Sindhi – Waghoo – Bhagwan Atlani

Essays

• Konkani – Henry Mendonca
• Nepali – Prakash Bhattarai

Other Categories

• Literary Criticism – Tamil – Sa. Tamilselvan
• Autobiography – Marathi – Raju Baviskar
• Memoirs:
  • Hindi – Mamta Kalia (Jeete Jee Allahabad)
  • Maithili – Mahendra

Selection Process of Sahitya Akademi Award

The selection process ensures transparency and merit-based recognition:

1. Open nominations invited (January 2025)

2. Evaluation by language-specific expert juries

3. Recommendations reviewed by Akademi

4. Final approval by the competent authority

Focus on originality, literary merit, and contribution

Language-wise Winners (Quick Overview)

The awards span across major Indian languages, including Hindi, English, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, and more, reflecting India’s linguistic diversity.

Importance of Sahitya Akademi Award

• Promotes regional literature and languages

• Strengthens cultural unity and diversity

• Recognises literary excellence at the national level

• Acts as a soft power tool for India’s cultural diplomacy

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