Skytrax World Airport Awards

♦ Singapore Changi Airport was named the world’s best airport for the second consecutive year in the 2026 Skytrax World Airport Awards, based on global passenger surveys assessing service quality and overall travel experience. According to Skytrax, Hamad International Airport and Tokyo Haneda Airport followed Singapore Changi Airport in the global rankings.

♦ Other airports featured in the top list include Incheon International Airport, Narita International Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Dubai International Airport, Munich Airport, Zurich Airport and Istanbul Airport.

♦ Among Indian airports, Indira Gandhi International Airport ranked 28th globally, improving from 32nd position last year, and retained its position as the best airport in India and South Asia. Delhi Airport remains the only Indian airport in the global top 30 rankings this year. In the category of airports handling over 70 million passengers annually, it ranked third worldwide, up from eighth position in 2025.

Mark Lynton History Prize

♦ William Dalrymple was awarded the prestigious Mark Lynton History Prize for 2026. The honour recognises his widely celebrated book, The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World, for its exceptional blend of “literary grace, commitment to serious research and social concern.”

♦ The Mark Lynton History Prize, carrying a cash award of $10,000, is presented annually to a work of history that combines scholarly distinction with elegance of expression. It forms part of the larger J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, administered jointly by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism and the Columbia University School of Journalism.

Sahitya Akademi Awards

♦ The Sahitya Akademi announced the winners of the Sahitya Akademi Awards 2025 on 16 MArch 2026, recognising outstanding literary works in 24 Indian languages.

♦ The awards are conferred annually by the Sahitya Akademi following a selection process that involves recommendations by distinguished jury members for each language and approval by the competent authority of the Akademi. 

♦ According to the Ministry of Culture, the awards this year cover a range of literary genres including poetry, novels, short stories, essays, literary criticism, autobiography and memoirs.

♦ Among the selected works are eight poetry collections, four novels, six short story collections, two essay volumes, one work of literary criticism, one autobiography and two memoirs.

♦ Among the notable winners this year are Navtej Sarna for the English novel “Crimson Spring”, Mamta Kalia for the Hindi memoir “Jeete Jee Allahabad”, and N. Prabhakaran for the Malayalam novel “Maayaamanushyar.”

♦ Other award-winning works include Prasun Bandyopadhyay’s poetry collection “Shrestha Kabita” (Bengali), Yogesh Vaidya’s “Bhattkhadaki” (Gujarati poetry) and Nandini Sidha Reddy’s Telugu poetry collection “Animesha.”

♦ In the short story category, works such as “Dada Seerisu Tande” by Amaresh Nugadoni (Kannada) and “Safety Kit” by Jinder (Punjabi) have been selected, while Sa.

♦ Tamilselvan’s “Thamiz Sirukathaiyin Thadangal” received the award in the category of literary criticism.

♦ The award carries a casket containing an engraved copper plaque, a shawl and a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh. The presentation ceremony for the awardees will be held in New Delhi on March 31, 2026.

Jnanpith Award

♦ Renowned Tamil poet and lyricist Vairamuthu was conferred the 60th Jnanpith Award, India’s highest literary honour, for the year 2025.

♦ He is the third Tamil literary figure to receive the award, earlier recipients include the late writers Akilan (1975) and Jayakanthan (2002).

♦ Vairamuthu won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2003 for Kallikattu Ithikasam.

♦ Vairamuthu has penned over 30 books, including poetry collections and novels.

♦ Some of his notable literary works are the Sahitya Akademi Award-winning ‘Kallikkattu Ithikasam’, ‘Karuvachchi Kaviyam’, Poems of Vairamuthu, and ‘Moondram Ulagappor’.  

♦ He was conferred the Padma Shri in 2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014.

♦ Jnanpith award has been presented annually since 1961 to an author for their “outstanding contribution to literature”. 

Lifetime Achievement Award

♦ Veteran actor-filmmaker Amol Palekar honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META). Th e honour celebrates his immense, decades-long influence as an actor and director who redefined contemporary storytelling across both Indian theatre and cinema. The 21st edition of META, established by the Mahindra Group and produced by Teamwork Arts, is set to take place in New Delhi.

♦ For the 2026 edition, META received a record-breaking 422 submissions, the highest in its history, representing over 20 Indian states, more than 100 cities, and 60 languages and dialects.

Gaddar Film Awards

♦ The Telangana government has announced the 2025 Gaddar Film Awards in Hyderabad on 7 MArch 2026. Akkineni Naga Chaitanya was named Best Leading Actor for his performance in Thandel, which also won the award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. Rashmika Mandanna won the Best Leading Actress trophy for The Girlfriend.

♦ In the feature film categories, Raju Weds Rambai secured the top spot as the First Best Feature Film, also earning Saailu Kaampati the Best Director award.

♦ Konidela Chiranjeevi was named for the prestigious NTR National Film Award for Indian Film Artist, while Kamal Haasan was honoured with the Paidi Jairaj Film Award for Indian Film Personality. C. Narayana Reddy Film Award will go to Suddala Ashok Teja. Other legends like Singeetham Srinivasa Rao and Jayasudha were also recognised with special lifetime honours.

♦ The Gaddar Film Awards were introduced in 2025 by the Telangana government to recognise films released in 2024. The awards replaced the earlier Nandi Awards that were presented when Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were a unified state.

Main Category Winners

The biggest awards of the night went to several films and performers across major categories:

Best Film: Raju Weds Rambai

Second Best Film: Dhandoraa

Third Best Film: The Great Pre-Wedding Show

Best Director: Sailu (Raju Weds Rambai)

Best Actor: Naga Chaitanya (Thandel)

Best Actress: Rashmika Mandanna (The Girlfriend)

Best Supporting Actor: Sivaji (Dhandoraa)

Best Supporting Actress: Bhumika (Euphoria)

Best Music Director: Mark K Robin (Dhandoraa)

Best Male Playback Singer: Anurag Kulkarni (Raju Weds Rambai)

Best Female Playback Singer: Sahithi Chaganti (Kannappa)

Best Comedian: Krishna Teja (Jigris)

Best Child Actor: Rohan Roy (The Great Pre-Wedding Show)

Film And Technical Awards

Several films and technicians were also recognised for their contribution to storytelling and filmmaking:

National Integration Film: Thandel

Best Environmental Film: Igua

Best Debut Feature Film: Little Hearts

Best Entertainment Film: Sankranthiki Vasthunnam

Best Social Message Film: Court

Best Special Effects Film: Mirai

Best Children’s Film: Anaganagana

Best Story Writer: Gunasekhar (Euphoria)

Best Screenplay Writer: Anil Ravipudi

Best Lyricist: Nandakishore (Kuberaa)

Best Cinematographer: Karthik Ghattamaneni (Mirai)

Best Editor: Sreekar Prasad (Mirai)

Best Audiographer: M. R. Rajakrishnan (Kishkindhapuri)

Best Choreographer: “Gira Gira Gira" (Champion)

Best Art Director: Thota Tharani (Champion)

Best Makeup Artist: Govind (Akhanda 2)

Best Costume Designer: Chandrakant (Champion)

Special Jury Awards

The jury also presented special recognitions in selected categories:

Best Special Jury Film: 23

Best Actor: Chaitu Jonnalagadda (Raju Weds Rambai)

Best Actress: Ananthika (8 Vasanthalu)

Special Jury Hero: Roshan (Champion)

Legendary Honour Awards

Several veteran artists and industry stalwarts were honoured with prestigious lifetime recognitions:

NTR National Award: Chiranjeevi

ANR Award: Jayasudha

Kantha Rao Award: R Narayana Murthy

BN Reddy Award: Singeetam Srinivasa Rao

Paidi Jairaj Award: Kamal Haasan

Nagireddy Chakrapani Award: Ashwini Dutt

C Narayana Reddy Award: Suddala Ashok Teja