Kalidas Samman:
Some of the recent recipients of the Kalidas Samman include:
| 2007-2008 | Balwantrai Bhatt (Classical Music), C.V. Chandrasekhar (Classical Dance), Babasaheb Purandare (Theatre), Satish Gujral (Plastic Arts) |
| 2008-2009 | Pandit Channulal Mishra (Classical Music), Kalamandalam Gopi (Classical Dance), Jairma Patel (Plastic Arts) |
| 2009-2010 | Saroja Vaidyanathan (Classical Dance), N. Rajam (Classical Music) |
| 2010–2011 | Anupam Kher (Theatre) |
| 2012–2013 | Dr. Keshav Rao Musalgaonkar |
| 2014–2015 | Raj Bisaria (Theatre) |
| 2015–2016 | Bansi Kaul (Theatre) |
| 2016–2017 | Ram Gopal Bajaj (Theatre) |
| 2017–2018 | Lakshmi Viswanathan |
| 2018-2019 | Anjolie Ela Menon (Visual Arts), Surendra Verma (Theatre) |
| 2019-2020 | Shanta and VP Dhananjaya (Classical Dance) |
| 2020-21 | Aruna Sairam (Classical Music) |
| 2021-22 | Padma Bhushan Budhaditya Mukherjee (Classical Music), Padmashri Dr. Puru Dadhich (Classical Dance), Vasudev Kamath(Visual Arts/Painting) and Rajeev Verma (Theatre) |
| 2022-23 | Pt. Venkatesh Kumar (Classical Music) |
Tansen Samman:
Tansen Samman was instituted by the Madhya Pradesh government in 1980 and is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to Hindustani classical music. It is named after Tansen, the legendary musician who was one of the Navratnas (Nine Jewels) in Emperor Akbar’s court.
The Award, which carries Rs 5 lakh in cash and a citation, is normally conferred during the ‘Tansen Festival’ held annually in Gwalior in December, the 100th edition of which will be held in 2024.
The recipients of the Tansen Award include:
2022 Pt. Ganapati Bhat Hasanagi
Kabir Samman:
Kabir Samman is a prestigious annual literary award instituted in 1986-87 by the Government of Madhya Pradesh and conferred on litterateurs of very high order for excellence in poetry creation in any Indian language. This award has been named after the great saint poet Kabir.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh along with a citation, shawl, and a sacred fruit (Shreefal).
The first recipient of the award was Gopal Krishna. Some of the latest recipients of Kabir Samman include:
2021 – Dr. Shyam Sunder Dubey
2020 – Manoj Srivastava (Hindi)
2019 – Vinay Rajaram (Hindi)
2018 – Gorti Vekanna (Telugu)
2017 – Naresh Saxena (Hindi)
2016 – K. Siva Reddy (Telugu)
2015 – Attur Ravi Varma (Malayalam)
2014 – Pratibha Satpathy (Odia)
2013 – Reva Prasad Dwivedi (Sanskrit)
2012 – Alokranjan Dasgupta (Bengali)
2008- Mangesh Padgaonkar
2007- Dr. Padma Sachdev
2006- A.A. Namboodari
2005- Ashok Vajpayee
2004- Govind Chandra Pandey
2003- A. Rehman Rahi
2002- Dr. Chandrashekhar Kambar
2001- Kunwar Narayan
2000- Sitakanta Mohapatra
Tulsi Samman:
Instituted in 1983, Tulsi Samman is a prestigious annual award given by the government of Madhya Pradesh for outstanding achievement in the tribal, traditional and folk arts in one of the four categories of Art (visual arts), Theatre, Dance and Music. It is Tulsi Das, a famous Indian saint, poet, and philosopher known for his epic Ramacharitmanas. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakhs and a citation.
Some of the recent recipients of Tulsi Samman include:
Devi Ahilya Samman:
Devi Ahilya Samman was instituted in 1996-97 and is given to recognise the creativity of women artists in the field of tribal, folk, and traditional arts in Madhya Pradesh. It carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a citation. The award is named after Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, a 18th-century ruler.
Devi Ahilya Samman 2023 was given to Bharatnatyam dancer and theatre artist Tanishka Hatwalane, TV actress Shubhangi Atre, cricketer Saumya Tiwari, Gondi mural artist Nankusia Shyam and actress and singer Vibha Srivastava.
Some of the other previous recipients of Devi Ahilya Samman include:
2020 – Malini Awasthi
2019 – Shanti Bai Maravi
Iqbal Samman:
Instituted in 1986-87, it is a prestigious annual award given by the Madhya Pradesh government in the field of creative Urdu writing. It carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a plaque of honour. It is named after poet Allama Iqbal who gave new dimensions to Urdu poetry in the first four decades of the twentieth century.
The recent recipients of the Iqbal Samman include:
1986-87 – Ali Sardar Jafri
1987-88 – Quratul N Haider
1988-89 – Akhtar ul Iman
1989-90 – Ismat Chughtai
1990-91 – Anand Narayan Mulla
1991-92 – Majrooh Sultanpuri
1992-93 – Moeen Ahsan Jazbi
1995-96 – Upendra Nath Ashk
1996-97 – Hayat Ullah Ansari
1997-98 – Akhtar Saeed Khan
1998-99 – Ibrahim Yusuf
1999-00 – Joginder Pal
2000-01 – Aale Ahmed Suroor
2001-02 – Prof. Muhammad Hasan
2002-03 – Prof. Jagannath Azad
2003-04 – Rifaat Sarosh
2004-05 – Shahryar
2005-06 – Kazi Abdul Sattar
2006-07 – Sheen Kaaf Nizam
2007-08 – Iqbal Majeed
2008-09 – Gopichand Narang
2009-10 – Chandrabhan Khayal
2012-13 – Syed Mohammad Ashraf
2017 – Shafey Kidwai
2018 – Ghazanfar Ali
2019 – Zakia Mashadi (Patna)
2020 – Prof. Ali Ahmed Fatmi (Prayagraj)
2021 – Dr. Syed Taqi Abedi (Toronto, Canada)
Kishore Kumar Samman:
The Kishore Kumar Samman is an annual award instituted in 1997-98 by the Madhya Pradesh government and is given in the fields of Direction, Acting, Screenplay Writing and Song Lyrics.
The award is named after versatile Bollywood singer Kishore Kumar who was born in a Bengali Brahmin in Khandwa, now in Madhya Pradesh. Therefore, the award ceremony is held in Khandwa every year on 13 October, the death anniversary of Kishore Kumar.
The award carries Rs 5 lakh in cash and a citation.
The first Kishore Kumar Samman was given to renowned Bollywood director Hrishikesh Mukherjee in 1997. Till now, 25 artists from the cinema world have been selected for this decoration.
The recipients of Kishore Kumar Samman include:
1997-98 – Hrishikesh Mukherjee
1998-99 – Naseeruddin Shah
1999-00 – Gulzar
2000-01 – Kaifi Azmi
2001-02 – B.R. Chopra
2002-03 – Amitabh Bachchan
2003-04 – Govind Nihalani
2004-05 – Javed Akhtar
2005-06 – Shyam Benegal
2006-07 – Shatrughan Sinha
2007-08 – Manoj Kumar
2008-09 – Gulshan Bawra
2009-10 – Yash Chopra
2010-11 – Dev Anand
2011-12 – Salim Khan (screenwriter)
2012-13 – Sameer (song writing)
2013-14 – Sai Paranjape
2014-15 – Dilip Kumar
2015-16 – Rumi Jaffrey
2016-17 – Yogesh
2017-18 – Priyadarshan
2018-19 – Waheeda Rehman
2019 – Ashok Mishra (screenwriter)
2020 – Amitabh Bhattacharya (lyricist)
2021 – Vivek Agnihotri (director)
2022 – Dharmendra
Lata Mangeshkar Award:
The Lata Mangeshkar Award was established in 1984-85 by the Madhya Pradesh government and is given for lifetime achievement in the field of music. It is given on a rotation basis in the field of playback singing and music direction. The award is named after the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who was born in September 1929 in Indore.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a citation.
The recipients of the Lata Mangeshkar Award include:
1984-85 – Naushad
1985-86 – Kishore Kumar
1986-87 – J aydev
1987-88 – Manna Dey
1988-89 – Khayyam
1989-90 – Asha Bhosle
1990-91 – Laxmikant Pyarelal
1991-92 – Yesudas
1992-93 – Rahuldev Burman
1993-94 – Mati Sandhya Mukherjee
1994-95 – Anil Biswas
1995-96 – Talat Mahmood
1996-97 – Kalyanji-Anandji
1997-98 – Jagjit Singh
1998-99- Ilaya Raja
1999-00 – S.P. Balasubramaniam
2000-01 – Bhupen Hazarika
2001-02 – Mahendra Kapoor
2002-03 – Ravindra Jain
2003-04 – Suresh Wadkar
2004-05 – A.R. Rahman
2005-06 – Kavita Krishnamurthy
2006-07 – Hridaynath Mangeshkar
2007-08 – Nitin Mukesh
2008-09 – Ravi
2009-10 – Anuradha Paudwal
2010-11 – Rajesh Roshan
2011-12 – Hariharan
2012-13 – Usha Khanna
2015-16 – Udit Narayan
2016-17 – Anu Malik
2017-18 – Suman Kalyanpur
2018-19 – Kuldeep Singh
2019-20 – Shailendra Singh
2020-21 – Anand-Milind
2021-22 – Kumar Sanu
2022-23 – Uttam Singh
It may be mentioned that in 1992 the Government of Maharashtra also established a “Lata Mangeshkar Award for Lifetime Achievement”. The Government of Andhra Pradesh also seems to have given an award in the name of Lata Mangeshkar for sometime.
Kumar Gandharva Samman:
2012-13 – Rama Vaidyanatha
2013-14 – Manjiri Asanare- Kelka
2014-15 – Bahauddin Daga
2015-16 – Kapila Venu
2016-17 – Manjusha Kulkarni-Patil
2017-18 – Niladri Kumar
2018-19 – None
2019-20 – Meeta Pandit
2020-21 – Debopriya and Suchismita Chatterjee
2021-22 – Ms. Rukmini Vijay Kumar
Maithilisharan Gupta Samman:
The Maithilisharan Gupta Samman (Maithilisharan Gupta Award) is an annual literary award instituted in 1987-88 by the Madhya Pradesh government to recognise outstanding contributions in the field of Hindi literature. The award is only given for creative work, and not for research or academic work. The award is named in memory of the renowned Hindi poet, Shri Maithili Sharan Gupta.
The award carries a cash award of Rs 2 lakh and a citation.
Some of the recent recipients of Kumar Gandharva Samman include:
2016 – Alok Sharma
2017 – Niladri Kumar
2018 – Manzoor Ehtesham
2019 – Dr. Shivkumar Tiwari
2020 – Dr. Satchidanand Joshi
2021 – Sadanand Gupta
The Benaras Hindu University (BHU) has also instituted a ‘Maithili Sharan Gupt Sahitya Samman’ in the honour of the poet.
Sharad Joshi Samman:
Sharad Joshi Samman was instituted in 1992-93 by the Madhya Pradesh government and is given in the field of report writing in Hindi, specifically for Satire and Essay. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a citation. The award is named after the renowned writer, satirist, and dialogue/scriptwriter Sharad Joshi
Some of the recent recipients of Sharad Joshi Samman include:
2006-07 – Bishan Tandon
2007-08 – Alok Mehta
2008-09 – K. P. Saxena
2009-10 – Gulab Kothari
2012-13 – Manik Verma
2013-14 – Gopal Chaturvedi
2014-15 – Suryabala Lal
2015-16 – Prem Janmejay
2016-17 – Narmada Prasad Upadhyay
2019 – Vijay Manohar Tiwari
2020 – Kailash Mandlekar
2021 – Shriram Parihar
Mahatma Gandhi Award:
The Mahatma Gandhi Award was instituted in 1995 by the Madhya Pradesh government on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It is given for exemplary work in spreading the message and values of Mahatma Gandhi, particularly among the youth. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a citation along with a Shawl and Shriphal (a sacred fruit).
The first award was given to Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust, Indore in 1995-96. The other important recipients include Jeev Sewa Sansthan, Bhopal (2004-05), Deendayal Research Institute, Chitrakoot, Satna (M.P.) (2005-06) and LOKAYAT, Pune (2017-18).
Some of the recent recipients of the Mahatma Gandhi Award include: Akhil Vishwa Gayatri Parivar (2019) and Bhatke Vimukta Vikas Pratishthan (2020).
Nanaji Deshmukh Samman:
The Nanaji Deshmukh Samman was instituted in 2012 by the Madhya Pradesh government to honour the legacy of Nanaji Deshmukh, a renowned social reformer and education activist.
The award recognizes individuals or institutions working across various fields towards social and cultural development, particularly in rural areas. This could include: Education; Healthcare; Women’s Empowerment and Rural Development.
The Nanaji Deshmukh Samman carries a cash prize of ₹2 lakh, a citation, and a shawl.
Some of the recent recipients of Nanaji Deshmukh Samman include: Tribal Welfare Centre Mahakoshal (Dindori) (2021), Gaumukhi Seva Dham (2020) and Narmada (2019).
Rashtriya Nirmal Verma Samman:
The Rashtriya Nirmal Verma Samman recognises individuals who have made significant contributions to the development and promotion of Hindi language by Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). The award is named after the renowned Hindi writer and novelist Nirmal Verma and carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a Citation, Shawl and Shrifal (a sacred fruit).
Some of the recent recipients of the Rashtriya Nirmal Verma Samman include:
2019 – Dr. Krishna Kumar (Birmingham)
2020 – Rohit Kumar ‘Happy’ (New Zealand)
2021 – Ms. Shikha Varshney (London)
Rashtriya Father Kamil Bulke Award:
The Rashtriya Father Kamil Bulke Award is an annual award instituted in 1987-88 by the Madhya Pradesh government and recognises individuals who have made significant contributions to the study and promotion of Hindi language and literature by foreigners.
The award carries a cash prize of ₹5 lakh, a Citation, Shawl and Shrifal (a sacred fruit).
Some of the recent recipients of the Rashtriya Father Kamil Bulke Award include:
2019 – Dr. Birsen Jagasingh (Mauritius)
2020 – Prof. Hideki Ishika (Tokyo)
2021 – Dr. Hines Werner Weisler (Denmark)
Rashtriya Gunakar Mule Samman:
Instituted in 2015, the Rashtriya Gunakar Mule Samman is presented by the Madhya Pradesh government to those who have made significant contributions to the development and promotion of the Hindi language through use of computers and information technology, Digital language labs and audio-visual tools, besides software development and web designing in Hindi.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, citation and a shawl.
Some of the recent recipients of Rashtirya Gunakar Mule Samman include: Dr. Purushottam Bhatt Chakravarti (2015), Harimohan (2016), Dr. Shivchander Dubey (2017), Prof. Kapurmal Jain (2018), Padyakar Dhananjay Saraf (2019), Santosh Chaubey (2020) and Jayant Vishnu Narlikar (2021).