On December 30, 2021, the Sahitya Akademi Award 2021 was given for literary works in 20 Indian languages. Namita Gokhale received the award for her novel ‘Things to Leave Behind’ and Anuradha Sarma Pujari for her Assamese novel ‘Iyat Ekhan Aaronya Asil’.

Along with the Sahitya Akademi Awards, Yuva Puraskar and Bal Sahitya Puraskar for 2021 were also announced. Awards in Gujarati, Maithili,- Manipuri & Urdu languages will be announced at a later date. 

Sahitya Akademi Award 2022 has not been declared yet.

This topic is important for UPSC from the current affairs perspective. 

Facts about the Sahitya Akademi Awards

• Sahitya Akademi Award is also known as the Sahitya Akademi Main Award.
• It was first conferred in 1955.
• It is conferred annually on 24 writers for their outstanding original literary works published in 24 Indian languages recognised by the Akademi.
• The award is considered the most prestigious literary award in India.

This topic is important for GS Paper-1 and prelims exam of UPSC 2023.

General Rules and Eligibility Criteria for the Sahitya Akademi Award

• The book must be a remarkable contribution to the language and literature to which it belongs.
• The literary work or book should be first published in any of the languages recognised by the Sahitya Akademi during the five years prior to the year, immediately preceding the year of the award.
• The literary work should be written by an Indian and published in India.
• The book or literary work should not be a work of translation or an anthology of multiple authors
• When two or more books are equally good, the total literary contribution and standing of the authors of the books will be considered to decide the award.

Sahitya Akademi Award Winners 2021

The list of winners from each category of the Sahitya Akademi Award winners 2021 is given below, and it will be helpful for UPSC 2023:

Sahitya Akademi Award 2021 [UPSC Notes]:-Download PDF Here

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