Goa Announces State Cultural Awards 2025–26, Honours Writers, Artists and Performers

The Goa government has announced the Goa State Cultural Awards 2025–26, recognising 12 distinguished personalities and six young talents for their contributions to literature, music, drama, folk art, and culture.
on Jun 24, 2026

Goa State Cultural Awards 2025-26 by The Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of Goa, have been awarded to a number of personalities for their contributions to the vibrant cultural and artistic life of the state.
Twelve distinguished individuals from the domain of literature, music, drama, tiatr, folk art, bhajan, and fine arts, whose lifelong dedication and accomplishments have been recognized under the Goa State Cultural Award scheme, have been chosen to receive the award.
Literature Among Other Key Areas Acknowledged
For the literature category of Goa State Cultural Award, two well-known literary stalwarts Jayanti Naik and Ramesh Onskar have been picked as the awardees.
Through their literary creations and research, both have contributed immensely to the cultural traditions of Goa.
The award is a mark of the continuing significance of literature within the cultural life of Goa, where the writer continues to occupy a crucial space in recording the history and reality of Goa.

Recipients from Various Fields of Art 
The Goa State Cultural Awards 2025-26 will confer awards on eminent individuals from several fields:

Music
Rajani Thakur
Agnelo Joao Fernandes
Ramchandra Naik

Literature
Ramesh Onskar
Jayanti Naik

Drama
Jyoti Kunkoliekar
Chandrakant Gawas
Tiatr
Irene Piedade Cardozo
Domingos Gabriel Coelho

Bhajan
Gurudas Shirgaonkar

Folk Art
Vinayak Phadte Akhadkar

Fine Art
Mahesh Vengurlekar
Each of these awards comes with a monetary reward of ₹1 Lakh

Best Cultural Institution Award
Along with these cultural laureates, the Directorate has chosen Gramin Kala Ani Sauskrutik Saunstha, Sattari, for the Best Cultural Institution Award 2025-26.
The institution has won acclaim for its contribution in preserving culture as well as interacting with the community through different cultural programmes and activities.
The winning institution is awarded with a cash award of ₹3 lakh along with a souvenir.

Appreciating Young Talent
Apart from recognizing eminent cultural personalities, the Government has also announced the awardees for Yuva Srujan Puraskar 2025-26, which seeks to encourage young individuals who have shown potential in different areas of art and culture.

The six awardees are:
Saurabh Karkhanis (Drama)
Govind Naik (Drama)
Vishant Gaude (Folk Art)
Gautam Gawas (Bhajan)
Deepraj Satardekar (Literature)
Umakant Poke (Sculpture)
Each of the six individuals will be awarded a certificate of appreciation, a memento, and a cash prize of ₹25,000.

Enhancing Goa's Cultural Heritage

The Goa State Cultural Awards continue to be among the most prestigious awards given by the state. Through the award of these prizes to both established cultural and artistic figures and new talents, there is a continued reinforcement of the state's efforts to promote artistry within their unique cultural heritage.
Through the awards to authors like Jayanti Naik and Ramesh Onskar, it is evident that literature continues to play a pivotal role in the cultural identity and development of intellect of the Goans.
Through the appreciation of its artistic heritage, Goa is constantly acknowledging the contributions of individuals and organizations towards its cultural heritage.