Sahitya Akademi Yuva and Bal Puraskar 2025 | 21 Jun 2025

Why in News? 

The Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters, has announced the winners of its prestigious Yuva Puraskar and Bal Sahitya Puraskar for 2025.  

  • For Maithili, Neha Jha Mani has won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2025 for her poetry collection “Banaras Aa Hum”. 

Key Points: 

  • Notable Awardees: 
    • Sahitya Akadem Yuva Puraskar 2025: 
      • English: Advait Kottary for Siddhartha: The Boy Who Became the Buddha (Novel) 
      • Hindi: Parvati Tirkey for Phir Ugna (Poetry) 
      • Urdu: Neha Rubab for Mazharul Haque: Thareek-e-Azadi-e-Hind : Hind Ka Faramosh Kardah Qaaed (Novel) 
    • Bal Sahitya Puraskar: 
      • English: Nitin Kushalappa MP for Dakshin South Indian Myths and Fables Retold 
      • Hindi: Sushil Shukla for the  Ek Batey Bara 
      • Maithili:  Munni Kamat for collection of short stories for children- Chukka. 
      • Urdu: Ghazanfar Iqbal for Quami Sitare (Articles) 

About Sahitya Akademi:  

  • Established: Formally inaugurated on 12 March 1954 by the Government of India as the National Academy of Letters. 
  • Purpose: Promotes Indian literature, sets high literary standards, encourages dialogue across languages, and fosters cultural unity. 
  • Languages: Works in 24 Indian languages, including all 22 constitutional languages plus English and Rajasthani. 
  • Activities: 
    • Publishes books, journals, dictionaries, and encyclopedias — over 6000 books so far; about one new book every 19 hours. 
    • Organises seminars, workshops, literary meets — nearly 300 events per year across India and abroad. 
    • Runs translation centres and archives; promotes tribal and oral literature. 
    • Awards 24 annual literary awards, 24 translation awards, Bhasha Samman, fellowships, and cultural exchange programs. 

Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar 

  • Established: 2010 to honor outstanding children's literature for readers aged 9-16. 
  • Languages: Awarded in 24 Indian languages recognized by Sahitya Akademi. 
  • Award Components: ₹50,000 cash prize, an engraved plaque, a shawl, and a citation. 
  • Eligibility: 
    • Original, creative work published within the last five years. 
    • At least three eligible books in the language that year. 
    • Myth adaptations and posthumous works (within five years) allowed. 
  • Ineligible: Translations, anthologies, abridgements, theses, and works by Board members, Fellows, or Bhasha Samman awardees. 

Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 

  • It was started in 2011 to honour young Indian writers (aged 35 or below) for original literary works in recognised languages. 
  • Only Akademi awards are open for self-nomination and publisher nomination. 
  • Includes a ₹50,000 cash prize, a plaque, shawl, and citation. 
  • Eligibility: 
    • The author must be an Indian national, aged 35 or less on 1st January of the award year. 
    • Work must be original, not a translation, abridgement, thesis, or prior awarded work. 
    • Posthumous works are not allowed. 
    • Minimum three eligible books must be available in the language.