Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship and Awards Overview

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Key takeaways

The President of India will present the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships (Akademi Ratna) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for 2024 and 2025.
The Akademi Ratna is capped at 40 living personalities and includes a ₹3,00,000 cash prize along with ₹1.5 lakh annual medical cover.
The Akademi Puraskar carries a cash reward of ₹1,00,000 along with ₹1 lakh annual medical coverage.
Established in 1953 under the Ministry of Culture, the Akademi selects candidates through a three-fourths majority vote when consensus is absent.

The President of India will present the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships (Akademi Ratna) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for 2024 and 2025 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

The Akademi Ratna is the highest national honor in performing arts given by India's apex cultural body, limited to at most 40 living personalities at any time.
The Akademi Puraskar honors teachers, scholars, and artists who show lifetime excellence and outstanding contribution to India's performing arts.

The Ministry of Culture set up the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1953 as the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama.
Music honors started back in 1951 as Presidential Awards before merging into the Akademi, which elected its first Fellow in 1954.

In Music, awards cover Hindustani, Carnatic, Sugam Sangeet, and major traditional musical forms across vocal and instrumental fields.
In Dance, awards recognize classical styles like Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Manipuri, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Sattriya, Mohiniattam, and Chhau, alongside contemporary forms.
In Theatre, categories include playwriting, direction, acting, costume design, lighting, scenic art, and traditional drama.
In Folk and Tribal Arts, the Akademi honors regional dance, puppetry, mime, and specialized crafts like mask making and instrument crafting.
The Akademi also gives awards for overall contribution, scholarly research, art books, and criticism in performing arts.

Akademi Ratna winners receive ₹3,00,000 in cash, a Tamrapatra, an Angavastram, and yearly medical coverage up to ₹1.5 lakh.
Akademi Puraskar winners receive ₹1,00,000 in cash, a Tamrapatra, an Angavastram, and yearly medical coverage up to ₹1 lakh.
Candidates for Akademi Ratna must normally be at least 50 years old, while Akademi Puraskar nominees must be at least 35 years old.
These individual awards are open to all people regardless of nationality, gender, or religion, but institutions cannot apply.
Nominations come from existing Fellows, Council members, and state academies, while final decisions require a three-fourths majority vote if members disagree.
Currently serving members of the General Council and Executive Board cannot be nominated during their tenure.