Team P3 curates a list of literary awards 2023.
Outside of the popular awards like the Jnanpith Award, JCB, and Sahitya Akademi, there are plenty more awards in India, both central and regional. In this article, we’re going to look at the several literary awards 2023 in Indian literature.
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List of Literary Awards 2023
Table of Contents
Bala Sahitya Puraskar
Description: Sahitya Akademi’s Bal Sahitya Purashkar is a literary honor given by the Sahitya Akademi. This award is given for a writer’s contribution to children’s literature. This award is given keeping in mind the total contribution of the writer.
First Awarded In 2010
Literary Award 2023:
English: Grandparents’ Bag of Stories by Sudha Murthy
Hindi: Kautuk App by Suryanath Singh
Punjabi: Sachhi Di Kahani by Gurmeet Kadialvi
Urdu: Mamata Ki Dor by Matin Achalapuri
Tamil: Adhanin Bommai by Udaya Shankar
Malayalam: Perumazhayathe Kunjithalukal by Priya A.S.
Telugu: Vajrala Vaana by D.K. Chaduvula Babu
Find other winners here.
Yuva Purashkar
Description: Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar is a literary honor given by the National Academy of Letters of India. This award is given for outstanding works written in any of the 24 major Indian languages. This award is given to writers below 35 years of age.
First Awarded In 2011
Literary Award 2023:
English: Lords of the Deccan: Southern India from the Chalukyas to the Cholas by Anirudh Kanisetti
Hindi: Chandpur Ki Chanda by Atul Kumar Rai
Odia: Senrra by Dileswar Rana
Tamil: Tirukarthi by Rama Thanga
Telugu: Vivechini by Johny Takkedasila
Fakir Mohan National Literary Award
Description: The Fakir Mohan National Literary Award is given by Fakir Mohan University in memory of the renowned Odia writer Fakir Mohan Senapati. The award was established to recognize the most prominent writers across various Indian languages and English.
First Awarded In 2004
Literary Award 2023:
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
Description: The Sahitya Akademi Fellowship is a literary honor in India, awarded by the Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters. The fellowship is the highest honor the Akademi can bestow on a living writer, and there are never more than 21 fellows at any given time.
The fellowship is reserved for “the immortals of literature” whose contributions have had a lasting impact on the country’s writers and literary traditions.
First Awarded In 1968
Literary Award 2023: M M Basheer and novelist N Prabhakaran
Recommended Reads: Literary Awards in India 2022
The New India Foundation Fellowship
Description: Entering its 11th edition, The Fellowship is bestowed for one year, providing each recipient with a comprehensive stipend of Rs 18 lakhs.
Beyond financial support, the foundation extends editorial, legal, and administrative assistance throughout the Fellowship journey, spanning from the initial proposal to the eventual publication.
First Awarded In 2004
Literary Award 2023:
Pramit Bhattacharya (Accounting For The Nation: The Story Behind India’s Growth Numbers)
Srijan Deshpande (The Life and Music of Kumar Gandharva)
Syed Jaleel Hussain (Ambivalent Allegiances: Shiism and Everyday Politics in Kashmir)
Rachna Mehra (Planning ‘New Towns’ in the Post-Independence Era: The Making of Faridabad City (1948-90))
Maya Mirchandani (Fathers, Sons, and a Troubled Paradise: A History of the Abdullahs)
Disha Mullick (Love, Death and Compromise: Stories of a New Rural Public)
Ramakrishna Ramaswamy (A Difficult Mind: An Intellectual Biography of Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi)
Swami Devanand Chakkungal Award for Hindi Literature
Description: The ICPA established the award in honor of Divine Word Swami Devanand Chakkungal, a distinguished Hindi journalist, writer, and former ICPA member. This prestigious accolade is bestowed upon an individual who has made substantial contributions to the realm of Hindi literature.
First Awarded In 2002
Literary Award 2023: Joseph Anthony Gathia
Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-English Translation
Description: The Jawad Memorial Prize draws its name from Ali Jawad Zaidi, an accomplished Urdu poet and scholar who clinched prestigious accolades such as the Padma Shri, the Ghalib Award, and the Mir Anis Award, among others.
The prize was inaugurated to pay homage to his literary legacy. Zaidi’s work, serving as a literary bridge between languages, cultures, and histories, remains a central inspiration for this esteemed award.
First Awarded In 2019
Literary Award 2023: Poorna Swami for her translation of the poem ‘Falasteeni’ (‘Palestinian’) by Fehmida Riaz
Ooty Literature Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award
Description: The Ooty Litfest, in its reimagined form, reflects the vibrant cultural heritage of Tamil Nadu. Redesigned to encompass a rich amalgamation of literature, art, music, and local culture, it celebrates the essence of Ooty’s bicentennial celebration.
First Awarded In 2019
Literary Award 2023: Perumal Murugan
The Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar
Description: The Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar is a national award given annually to a writer who has contributed to any of the languages recognized by the Indian Constitution.
The award includes a cash prize of ₹5 lakh, a citation, and a memento. The award is given in memory of the late poet laureate Kuvempu, whose real name was Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa. Kuvempu is considered one of Karnataka’s most notable Nationalist poets.
First Awarded In 2013
Literary Award 2023: Shirshendhu Mukyopadhyaya
Saraswati Samman
Description: The Saraswati Samman is an annual award for outstanding literary works in any of the 22 languages of India. The award is named after the Hindu goddess of knowledge, Saraswati, and was established by the K. K. Birla Foundation.
The award is given to literary works that have been outstanding over the last 10 years. The selection process is rigorous and involves three rounds, leading up to a final decision by Chayan Parishad.
First Awarded In 1991
Literary Award 2023: Sivasankari for her memoir Surya Vamsam
Vyas Samman
Description: The Vyas Samman is a literary award in India that recognizes outstanding Hindi literary works published within the last 10 years.
The award is given annually by the K.K. Birla Foundation and includes a cash prize of Rs 4,00,000. It also includes a citation and a plaque.
First Awarded In 1991
Literary Award 2023: Pushpa Bharathi’s 2016 memoir, Yaadein, Yaadein!…Aur Yaadein
Sahitya Akademi’s Premchand Fellowship
Description: The Sahitya Akademi’s Premchand Fellowship is given to creative writers from the SAARC region who are researching Indian literature. The fellowship was established to honor Munshi Premchand’s 125th birthday. The fellowship lasts one to three months.
First Awarded In 2005
Literary Award 2023: Tshering Tashi
Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters)
Description: The French government’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) is a distinction given to artists and writers who have made significant contributions to the arts in France and around the world. The order’s medallion is an eight-pointed, green-enameled asterisk.
First Awarded In 1957
Literary Award 2023: Aditi Maheshwari for her contributions to Hindi publishing and promoting the voices of the marginalised
Sahitya Akademi Award
Description: The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor given annually by India’s National Academy of Letters. The award recognizes the most outstanding books published in any of the 22 languages of the 8th Schedule to the Indian constitution, as well as in English and Rajasthani.
The awardees are chosen by a jury of three to five members nominated by the Sahitya Akademi General Council. The jury recommends names of writers to the Executive Board, which then decides on the awardees.
First Awarded In 1954
Literary Award 2023:
Assamese: Dr. Pranavjyoti Deka Shrestha Galpa by Pranavjyoti Deka
Bengali: Jabar Pari by Swapnamoy Chakraborti
Bodo: Si-Ufari Sarni by Vinod Sona Minj
Dogri: Daun Sadiyan Ek Seer by Vijay Verma
English: Requiem in Raga Janki by Neelum Saran Gour
Gujarati: Sairandhree by Sandeep Joshi
Hindi: Mujhe Pahachano by Sanjeev
Kannada: Mahabharata Anushandhana Bharata by Lakshmesh Tolpadi
Kashmiri: Yath Wavah Halis Toong Tsolay Zaley by Manshoor Banhali
Konkani: Varsal (Short Stories) by Mahabaleshwar Sail
Maithili: Bodha Sanketan by Basukinath Jha
Malayalam: Malayala Novelinete Deshakalangal by E.V. Ramakrishnan
Manipuri: Yangkhoibagi Nanglo Helli by Sorokhaibam Gambhini
Marathi: Ringan by Kusumkhatri Rana
Nepali: Nepali Lokshitya Ra Loksanskritiko Pariyocha by Juddhar Rana
Odia: Aprastuta Prutyu by Ashutosh Parida
Punjabi: Mann Di Chip by Swarnjit Savi
Rajasthani: Manak Mati (Poetry) Gaje Singh Rajpurohit
Sanskrit: Shunye Meghghanam by Arun Ranjan Mishra
Santali: Jaba Baha by Taraceen Baskey (Turia Chand Baskey)
Sindhi: Hathu Hikro Pahinjaro by Vinod Asudani
Tamil: Neeraviyal by Rajasekaran (Devibharathi)
Telugu: Rameshwaram Kaakulu Marikonni Kathalu by T. Pattabhi Satyam
Urdu: Rajdev Ki Amrai by Sadiqua Nawab Saher
