Bengaluru : The Karnataka government has announced the Kannada Rajyotsava Awards for 2025–26, recognizing 70 eminent personalities from various fields for their contribution to the state. Prominent among the awardees is multi-lingual actor Prakash Raj, who represents Dakshina Kannada district.
Minister for Kannada and Culture Shivaraj Tangadagi announced the list of awardees at a press conference on Thursday. For the first time, the government has selected achievers without inviting applications, based on recommendations from the district-level and social-category-based selection panels.
“This time, we have chosen achievers purely on merit and contribution to society. The advisory committee met four to five times before finalizing the list,” Minister Tangadagi said.
Unlike previous years, no organizations have been selected for the award this year. Among the 70 awardees, 12 are women achievers. The award ceremony will be held on November 1 at 6 p.m. at Ravindra Kalakshetra, Bengaluru, marking the 69th Kannada Rajyotsava celebration. Each award includes ₹5 lakh in cash, a 25-gram gold medal, and a citation.
Major awardees by category
Literature:
Prof. Rajendra Chenni (Shivamogga), Thumbadi Ramayya (Tumakuru), Prof. R. Sunandamma (Chikkaballapur), Dr. H.L. Pushpa (Tumakuru), Rahamat Tarikere (Chikkamagaluru), H.M. Poojar (Vijayapura).
Cinema/Television:
Prakash Raj (Dakshina Kannada), Vijayalakshmi Singh (Kodagu).
Administration:
H. Siddayya IAS (Retd), Bengaluru South (Ramanagara).
Medical:
Aalamma Maranna (Tumakuru), Dr. Jayaranganath (Bengaluru Rural).
Music and dance:
Devendrakumar Pattar (Koppal), Madiwalayya Saali (Bidar), Prof. K. Ramamurthy Rao (Mysuru).
Social service:
Mathi Sulagitti Eeramma (Vijayanagara), Fakkeeri (Bengaluru Rural), Corine Antoniette Rasquinha (Dakshina Kannada), Dr. N. Seetharam Shetty (Udupi), Konandur Lingappa (Shivamogga).
Environment:
Ramegowda (Chamarajanagar), Mallikarjun Ningappa (Yadgir).
Agriculture:
Dr. S.V. Hittalmani (Haveri), M.C. Rangaswamy (Hassan).
Media:
K. Subramanya (Bengaluru), Amshi Prasannakumar (Mysuru), B.M. Haneef (Dakshina Kannada), M. Siddaraju (Mandya), Ramayya (Chikkaballapur), Air Marshal Philif Rajkumar (Davangere), Dr. R.V. Nadagowda (Gadag).
Yakshagana:
Kota Suresh Bangera, Ibrail Anand Shetty (Udupi), Krishna Parameshwar Hegde (Uttara Kannada).
Theatre:
H.M. Parameshivayya (Ramanagara), L.B. Sheikh (Vijayapura), Bangarappa Khudanpur (Bengaluru), Mime Ramesh (Dakshina Kannada), D. Ratnamma Desai (Raichur).
Sports:
Ashish Kumar Ballal (Bengaluru), M. Yogendra (Mysuru), Dr. Babina N.M. (Kodagu).
Education:
Dr. M.R. Jayaram (Bengaluru), Dr. N.S. Ramegowda (Mysuru), S.B. Hosamani (Kalaburagi), Rajshree Nagaraju (Belagavi).
Judiciary:
Justice P.B. Bhajanthri (Pavan Kumar Bhajanthri) – Bagalkot.
Fine arts and crafts:
Basanna Monappa Badiger (Yadgir), Nagalingappa G. Gangur (Bagalkot), B. Maruthi (Vijayanagara), L. Hemashekar (Mysuru).
Minister Tangadagi said the selection process aimed to ensure district-wide representation and fair recognition across various professional, cultural, and social sectors.
