Banaras Lit Fest Opens Nominations for the Third BLF Book Awards 2027

The Banaras Lit Fest has announced the opening of nominations for the Third Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards 2027, inviting publishers and individual authors across India to submit outstanding books published in Hindi and English. Presented as part of the 5th Banaras Lit Fest, to be held from 4 to 7 February 2027, the awards recognise excellence in Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry and Translation. The awards ceremony will be held on February 7, 2027.

Instituted to recognise literary achievement across languages and genres, the BLF Book Awards have, over the past two editions, established themselves as an independent platform for honouring significant books while encouraging dialogue between writers, translators, publishers, readers and literary institutions.

The awards will be presented in the following categories:

Hindi

• Premchand Award for Fiction

• Rahul Sankrityayan Award for Non-Fiction

• Kabir Award for Poetry

• Mahadevi Verma Award for Translation

English

• Ruskin Bond Award for Fiction

• Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Award for Non-Fiction

• Sarojini Naidu Award for Poetry

• Rabindranath Tagore Award for Translation

In addition to the eight competitive awards, three special honours will also be presented:

·         Bhartendu Harishchandra Lifetime Achievement Award, carrying a cash prize of INR 1,00,000

·         Kalidas Award for Indian Languages, carrying a cash prize of INR 51,000

·         Vivekanand Youth Writer Award : (For authors aged 35 years and below), carrying a cash prize of INR 51,000,

Each category winner will receive a cash prize of INR 51,000, a trophy and a citation.

Books published between January 1, 2025 and October 31, 2026 are eligible for consideration.

Publishers may nominate up to four titles in each category. Individual authors whose books fulfil the eligibility criteria are also welcome to submit their entries.

Awards Timeline

• 15 August 2026: Nominations Open

• 31 October 2026: Last Date for Submission of Nominations

• 25 December 2026: Longlist of 10 books in each category announced

• 4 January 2027: Shortlist of 5 books in each category announced

• 9 January 2027: Winners announced

• 7 February 2027: Third Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards Ceremony during the 5th Banaras Lit Fest

Announcing the nominations, Deepak Madhok, President, Banaras Lit Fest, said, “Books continue to shape the moral and intellectual life of societies. The Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards were conceived to recognise works of lasting literary value while strengthening the culture of reading, translation, and critical engagement. Our endeavour is to build an award that commands the confidence of writers, publishers, and readers through a process that is independent, transparent, and guided solely by literary merit.”

Brijesh Singh, Founder & Secretary, Banaras Lit Fest, said, “Banaras has, for centuries, been a meeting place of ideas, learning, and creative expression. The BLF Book Awards carry that legacy into the present by recognising books that deepen our understanding of literature, history, society, and culture. We hope these awards will continue to encourage writers, translators, and publishers while contributing to a vibrant and inclusive literary ecosystem.”

The 2027 edition of the fest will bring together more than 300 writers, artists, scholars, translators, diplomats, policymakers, publishers and public intellectuals from India and abroad. The festival will feature over 75 conversations and readings, participation from more than eleven Indian languages, major book launches, cultural performances, heritage walks, and the Third Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards.

The festival is supported by the Sahitya Akademi and the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and works in collaboration with leading publishing houses and literary institutions across the country. For complete eligibility guidelines, nomination forms, rules, and submission procedures, applicants should visit the Banaras Lit Fest website at www.banaraslitfest.org and go to the BLF Book Awards section under the Quick Links menu.