Banaras Lit Fest 2025 Book Awards shortlists for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translation announced

The Banaras Lit Fest has announced the shortlists in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and translation categories for its 2025 book awards. Besides English, the awards are also given to Hindi language books.

The winners will be announced on February 23 in New Delhi. They will receive a cash prize of Rs 51,000, along with a certificate and a trophy, during the festival which will be held in Varanasi between March 7 and March 9.

In addition to the book awards, the festival will also present special honours in Banaras Lit Fest Kalidas Award for Scheduled Indian Language (cash prize of Rs 51,000), Bhartendu Harishchandra Lifetime Achievement Award (cash prize of Rs 1,00,000), Gomati Devi Eminence Award in Seven Categories (cash prize of Rs 21,000 each), and Nav Bharat Sarjak Samman in Eleven Categories (cash prize of Rs 11,000 each).

The English shortlists

Ruskin Bond Award for Fiction

• The Patient in Bed Number 12, Raj Kamal Jha, Penguin India

• Aunties of Vasant Kunj, Anuradha Marwah, Rupa Publications

• Deccan Queen: Take Two, Farrukh Dhondy, Om Book International

• Never Never Land, Namita Gokhale, Speaking Tiger Books

• The Woman Who Climbed Trees, Smriti Ravindra, HarperCollins India

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Award for Nonfiction

• Fire on the Ganges: Life Among Dead in Banaras, Radhika Iyengar, HarperCollins India

• How Prime Ministers Decide, Neerja Chowdhury, Aleph Book Company

• Bharat Rising: Dharma, Democracy and Diplomacy, Utpal Kumar, BlueOne Ink

• The Jannayak Karpoori Thakur: Voice of the Voiceless, Santosh…

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