The Golden Lotus or "Swarna Kamal" Awards are the elite category of awards presented to feature and non-feature films of India at the annual National Film Awards, the most prominent film award ceremony in India administered by the Indian government`s Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.
There are currently 6 awards presented under the Golden Lotus category:
The National Award for Best Feature Film is the premier Golden Lotus award, announced for films produced in a year across the country in all Indian languages.
Films in the following languages have won the Best Feature Film award: Bengali films with 22 awards, Hindi with 13, Malayalam with 11, Kannada with 6, Marathiwith 4, Sanskrit and Tamil with 2 each, Telugu, Assamese and Beary with 1 award each.
The National Film Award for Best Direction was constituted in 1967 and is presented to the directors of Indian films produced in a year in all languages. As of 2014, eminent filmmaker Satyajit Ray is the most frequent winner with 6 awards, followed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan who accounts for 5 wins.
The National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment was constituted in the year 1975, and is announced for films produced in a year across the country in all languages. Like an equivalent to the Best Feature Film award, it is presented to films that generate wholesome cinematic entertainment and universal appeal overall amongst the audiences.
The National Film Award for Best Children`s Film is a Golden Lotus award presented for Indian feature films that cater to the entertainment and education of children. It was instituted in 1954 at the 1st edition of National Film Awards.
The Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director presented to directors for their debut feature films. It was instituted in 1980 at the 28th National Film Awards, awarded to directors for films made across the country, in all Indian languages.
The National Film Award for Best Animated Film is presented for animated feature films produced in the year across India in all languages. It was instituted in 2006 at the 54th National Film Awards.
The National Film Award for Best Book on Cinema is one of the non-feature film Golden Lotus honours, presented for Best Writing on Indian Cinema. Instituted in 1981 at 29th National Film Awards, it is announced annually for books written in the year across the country on Cinema, in all Indian languages. The National Film Award for Best Film Critic is another such honour, instituted in 1984 at 32nd National Film Awards and presently annually to film critics who reviews Indian films of all languages.
The National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film is a Golden Lotus honour presented to short films produced in the year across the country in all languages, and was instituted in 1954 at the 1st edition of National Film Awards. The National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Direction, instituted in 2000 at the 48th National Film Awards, is presented to the directors of such short films.
All the Golden Lotus awards are presented with the Swarna Kamal medal and cash prizes, being 250,000 INR for Best Feature Film and Best Direction, 200,000 INR for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, 150,000 INR for Best Children"s Film, Best Non-Feature Film and Best Non-Feature Film Direction, 125,000 INR for Best First Film of a Director, 100,000 INR for Best Animated Film, 75,000 INR for Best Film Critic and 50,000 INR for Best Book on Cinema.
