Eminent Manipuri writer Arambam Ongbi Memchoubi will be conferred with Amar Ujala’s prestigious Akashdeep Award, the publication announced on January 15.

Renowned Hindi author Mamta Kalia will also be honoured with the same award. Both writers will receive a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each, a citation, and a Ganga sculpture at the Shabd Samman ceremony for 2025, which is scheduled to be held shortly.

In a statement, Amar Ujala said the award carries special significance in the context of global milestones recognising women’s contributions. “The United Nations declared 1975 as the International Women’s Year. The year 2025 marks its Golden Jubilee, while 2026 has been dedicated by the UN to women’s contributions to agriculture. In this context, honouring these two women creators lends the Akashdeep Award a special distinction,” the statement said.

Memchoubi has made a significant contribution to Manipuri literature through her extensive writings on postcolonial thought and women’s identity. Mamta Kalia, who emerged as a powerful literary voice during the early waves of feminism, has authored more than a dozen acclaimed works and is widely known for her nuanced portrayal of middle-class life and women’s struggles.
Several distinguished authors writing in non-Hindi Indian languages have previously received the Akashdeep Award, including Girish Karnad, Bhalchandra Nemade, Shankha Ghosh, Pratibha Ray, M T Vasudevan Nair and Sitanshu Yashaschandra. Among Hindi writers, past recipients include Namvar Singh, Gyanranjan, Vishwanath Tripathi, Shekhar Joshi, Vinod Kumar Shukla and Govind Mishra.

Meanwhile, Amar Ujala also announced the winners of the Shabd Samman–25 awards for the best Hindi works published in 2024. In the ‘Chhap’ (Poetry) category, Savita Singh’s collection Vaasna Ek Nadi Ka Naam Hai (Desire Is the Name of a River) was selected as the Best Work. Naish Hasan’s Mutah won the Best Work award in the Non-Fiction category, while Shahadat’s short-story collection Curfew Ki Raat (The Night of the Curfew) was chosen as the Best Work in the Fiction category.
For Indian-language translations, the Bhasha-Bandhu Award will be presented to Sujata Shiven for her Hindi translation of Charu Chivar aur Charya, originally written in Odia by Pradeep Dash. The Thaap Award, given for an author’s first book, will be conferred on Manish Yadav for Sudhaargrih Ki Malikainen (The Women Who Run the Reformatory).