All India Poetry Prize was instituted by Poetry Society of India in 1988. The prizes are awarded to the best single work of poetry submitted by an Indian poet. The number of prizes varies from year to year.

Selection

Selection of prize winners is through open competitions, variously known as ''All India Poetry Competition'' or ''National Poetry Competition''. The process is similar to

National Poetry Competition The National Poetry Competition is an annual poetry prize established in 1978 in the United Kingdom. It is run by the UK-based Poetry Society and accepts entries from all over the world, with over 10,000 poems being submitted to the competition ...

of U.K. However, only Indian citizens are eligible to participate without any age limit. Entry for the competition can be original poems written in English, or poems translated into English from any of the recognised Indian languages. A panel of judges consisting of eminent poets from India and abroad evaluate the poems without knowing the identity of the participating poets.

The Jury

The jury selecting the prize winners consist of eminent poets from India and abroad. Past jury members include Peter Forbes,

Lawrence Sail Lawrence Sail (born 29 October 1942) is a contemporary British poet and writer. Biography Sail was born in London and brought up in Exeter. He studied French and German at Oxford University and subsequently taught for some years in Kenya, before ...

Ruth Padel Ruth Sophia Padel FRSL FZS is a British poet, novelist and non-fiction author, known for her poetic explorations of migration, both animal and human, and her involvement with classical music, wildlife conservation and Greece, ancient and modern. ...

Sitakant Mahapatra Sitakant Mahapatra (born 17 September 1937) is an Indian poet and literary critic in Odia as well as English. He served in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) from 1961 until he retired in 1995, and has held ''ex officio'' posts such as the ...

, J. P. Das,

Keshav Malik Keshav Malik (5 November, 1924 – 11 June, 2014) was an Indian poet, art and literary critic, arts scholar, and curator. He remained art critic for the ''Hindustan Times'' (1960–1972) and ''The Times of India'' (1975–2000). He published e ...

Anna Sujatha Mathai Anna Sujatha Mathai (1933/1934 – 16 March 2023) was an Indian poet. Biography Anna Sujatha Mathai was born to Syrian Christian parents. She completed her B.A. (Honours) degree in English Language and Literature from Miranda College and a p ...

and

Nissim Ezekiel Nissim Ezekiel (16 December 1924 – 9 January 2004) was an Indian Jewish poet, actor, playwright, editor and art critic. He was a foundational figure in postcolonial India's literary history, specifically for Indian Poetry in English. He ...

among others.

Sponsorship

Till 2000, the awards were sponsored by the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

. Since 2013, the awards are being co-sponsored by the Government of India under the aegis of Ministry of Human Resources. There were no awards between 2000 and 2013.

List of winners

* 1988 : Vijay Nambisan for the poem ''" Madras Central"'' * 1990 : Rukmini Bhaya Nair for the poem ''"

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In this tra ...

"'' * 1991 : Rajlukshmee Debee Bhattacharya for the poem ''" Punarnava"'' * 1993 :

Shampa Sinha Shampa Sinha is a doctor and writer with previous careers in diplomacy and public health. She is best known for her poem Siesta, which won the First Prize in the Fifth ''National Poetry Competition'' in 1993 organized by The Poetry Society (India) ...

for ''"

Siesta A ''siesta'' (from Spanish, pronounced and meaning "nap") is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal. Such a period of sleep is a common tradition in some countries, particularly those in warm-weather zones. Th ...

"'', and Tarun Cherian for ''" A Writer's Prayer"'' * 1994 :

Anju Makhija Anju Makhija is an Indian poet, playwright, translator and columnist. She has won several national and international awards for her poetry in English. Biography Anju Makhija was born in Pune and spent several years in Canada. She has a master's ...

for ''" A Farmer's Ghost"'', and Smita Agarwal for ''"Our Foster Nurse of Nature is Repose"'' * 1995 :

Tabish Khair Tabish Khair is an Indian English author and associate professor in the Department of English, University of Aarhus, Denmark. His books include ''Babu Fictions'' (2001), ''The Bus Stopped'' (2004), which was shortlisted for the Encore Award (UK ...

for ''" Birds of North Europe"'', and

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for ''" The Coffin Maker"'' * 1997 :

Ranjit Hoskote Ranjit Hoskote (born 1969) is an Indian poet, art critic, cultural theorist and independent curator. He has been honoured by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, with the Sahitya Akademi Golden Jubilee Award and the Sahitya ...

for ''" Portrait of a Lady"'', and

for ''"

Digging Digging, also referred to as excavation, is the process of using some implement such as claws, hands, manual tools or heavy equipment, to remove material from a solid surface, usually soil, sand or rock on the surface of Earth. Digging is actu ...

"'' * 1998 : First Prize - K. Sri Lata for ''"

In Santa Cruz, Diagnosed Home Sick "In Santacruz, Diagnosed Home Sick" is a poem by the Indian English poet and novelist K Srilata. The poem won First Prize in the Eighth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 1998. This was the first major literary ...

"'', and Revathy Gopal for ''"Lines on Meeting a Cousin, Long Lost"'' * 2000 :

Shahnaz Habib Shahnaz Habib is an Indian essayist, fiction writer, travel writer, and translator based in the United States of America. She teaches writing at Bay Path University and The New School, and works as a consultant for the United Nations. In 2018, s ...

for ''"

Of Hypocrisy and Cheekbones "Of Hypocrisy and Cheekbones" is an Indian poem by the Indian English writer and translator Shahnaz Habib. The poem won First Prize in the Ninth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 2000. Excerpts from the poem ...

"'', and Revathy Gopal for ''"

I Would Know You Anywhere "I Would Know You Anywhere" is an Indian poem on the popular Hindu god Ganesha by the Indian English poet Revathy Gopal. The poem won Second Prize in the Ninth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society (India) in 2000. This was th ...

"'' * 2013 :

Mathew John The Poetry Society (India) was formed in July 1984 at New Delhi as a voluntary association to promote Indian poetry and to look after the interests of Indian Poets. The founding members included the Indian poets Keshav Malik, Jagannath Prasad Da ...

for ''"

Another Letter from Another Father to Another Son The Poetry Society (India) was formed in July 1984 at New Delhi as a voluntary association to promote Indian poetry and to look after the interests of Indian Poets. The founding members included the Indian poets Keshav Malik, J P Das, H K Kaul ...

"'',

Tapan Kumar Pradhan Tapan Kumar Pradhan (born 1972) is an Indian poet, writer and translator from Odisha. He is best known for his poem collection "Kalahandi" which was awarded second place in Sahitya Akademi's Golden Jubilee ''Indian Literature'' Translation Prize ...

for ''"The Buddha Smiled"''. * 2014 : Probal Mazumdar for ''"Grand Mother"'', Vidya S. Panicker for ''"A Suitcase Too Small"'', and N Madani Syed for ''"A Song to Sing"'' * 2015 : (ENGLISH) :- First Prize (English) - Sukanya Shaji for ''"Pilgrimage"'', Debrup Bhattacharya for ''"Star's Demise"'', and K. Priyamvada for ''"Fireflies"''; (HINDI) :- Parul Gupta for "भूकंप" (''Bhukamp'', Amit Bisht for "एक किसान का सुईसाइड नोट" (''Ek Kisaan ka Suicide Note''), Rajesh Ahuja for "मन मंथन" (''Man Manthan) * 2016 : (ENGLISH) :- Yatiraj Ramanujam for the poem ''"A Sudden Voyage"'', Shrestha Ghosh for ''"A Dream"'', Maitri S Shah for ''"Violence of the Truth"''; (HINDI) :- Gaurav J. Pathania for "प्लास्टिक"(''Plastic''), Neelam Saxena for "ख़ुशी" (''Khushi'') and Monika Kalana for "तुम्हारे लौट आने की ख़ुशी में" (''Tumhare Laut Aane ki Khushi Mein'') * 2017 :

References

{{reflist Indian literary awards Indian poetry Poetry awards

Selection

The Jury

Sponsorship

List of winners

See also

References