Kalidas Samman:
This is a prestigious annual award given separately for outstanding achievement in four categories i.e. Plastic Arts, Theatre, Classical Music and Classical Dance. Named after the renowned ancient classical Sanskrit writer, Kalidasa, the award was first given in 1980. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a plaque of honour. The 2007-2008 recipients were Balwantrai Bhatt (Classical Music), C.V. Chandrasekhar (Classical Dance), Babasaheb Purandare (Theatre), Satish Gujral (Plastic Arts), while the 2008-2009 the award was given to the famous classical singer Pandit Channulal Mishra of the Benaras Gharana.
Kabir Samman:
It is a prestigious annual award instituted in 1986-87 and conferred on litterateurs of very high order. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh and a citation. The latest recipients of the award include Ashok Vajpayee (2005-06), A.A. Namboodari (2006-07) and Padma Sachdev (2007-08).
Tansen Samman:
This was instituted in 1980-81 and is given in the field of classical music. The award for 2009-10 was conferred on Pandit Ajay Pohankar, while the award for 2008-09 was given to the famous classical singer Ustad Gulam Mustafa Khan. The Award, which carries Rs 2 lakh in cash and a citation, is normally conferred during the ‘Tansen Festival’ held in Gwalior.
Mahatma Gandhi Award:
This award is given for social work done as per the Gandhian Philosophy. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a citation. The award for the year 2007-08 was given to the ‘Seva Bharti’ of New Delhi.
Kishore Kumar Samman:
The Kishore Kumar Samman was instituted in 1997-98 and is given in the fields of film direction, acting, script writing and lyric writing. The award carries Rs 2 lakh in cash and a citation. The award for 2009-10 was conferred on Bollywood director Yash Chopra.
Lata Mangeshkar Award:
The Award was established in 1984-85 for excellence in singing and music direction and carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a citation. The award for 2009-10 was given to playback singer Anuradha Podwal, while the award for 2008-09 was presented to music director Ravi.
Iqbal Samman:
Instituted in 1986-87, it is a prestigious annual award given in the field of creative Urdu writing and carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a plaque of honour. Some of the recent recipients of this award include Shaharyar (2004-05), Quazi Abdul Sattar (2005-06), Sheen Kaf Nizam (2006-07) and Iqbal Majid (2007-08).
Maithilisharan Gupta Award:
This award, which was instituted in 1996-97, is given for outstanding contribution in the field of Hindi literature. The award carries a cash award of Rs 2 lakh and a citation. The recent recipients of this award include Shatrughan Prasad (2007-08) and Manu Sharma (2006-07).
Tulsi Samman:
Instituted in 1983-84, this is a prestigious annual award given for outstanding achievement in the tribal, traditional and folk arts in one of the four categories of art, theatre, dance and music. It carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakhs and a citation. The 2006-07 Award was conferred on Lallu Vajpayee.
Kumar Gandharwa Award:
This award was instituted in 1992-93 for young artists in the field of classical music, both vocal and instrumental. It carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. The 2007-08 was given to Kala Ramnath.
Sharad Joshi Award:
This award, which was instituted in 1992-93 and carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, is given in the field of report writing and Hindi satire. The 2006-07 Award was given to Bishon Tondon.
Devi Ahilyabai Award:
This award was instituted in 1996-97 and is given in the field of traditional folk and tribal art for female artists. It carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a citation. The 2006-07 Award was given to Gauri Devi.