Eminent Hindi short-story writer Mamta Kalia and noted Manipuri author Arambam Ongbi Memchoubi will be honoured with the Akashdeep Award under the Amar Ujala Shabd Samman 2025 for their lifetime contribution to Indian literature.
The Akashdeep Award, the highest honour of the Shabd Samman, is presented annually to one distinguished writer in Hindi and one in a non-Hindi Indian language. Each award carries a cash prize of ₹5 lakh, a citation, and a Ganga sculpture.
The recognition comes in a year of global focus on women’s contributions, coinciding with the Golden Jubilee of the United Nations’ International Women’s Year.
Alongside the Akashdeep honour, Best Work Awards for Hindi publications of 2024 were also announced. Winners include Savita Singh (Poetry), Naish Hasan (Non-Fiction), Shahadat (Fiction), Sujata Shiven (Translation), and Manish Yadav (Debut).
The awards will be presented at a formal ceremony to be held shortly.
