Sangeet Natak Akademi Award is the most prestigious national award in performing Arts category in India. One of the significant activities of the Akademi has been to give appreciation and honors to artists as it would help in setting standards in these arts, and restore the art and artists to their rightful place in Independent India.

The award as of 2003 consists of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram (a shawl), and a tamrapatra (a brass plaque).The awards are given in the categories of music, dance, theatre, other conventional arts and puppetry, and for contribution/ scholarship in the theater arts.

History of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
The body of Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards is now more than fifty years old and the great body of practitioners, gurus and scholars in the performing arts honored by the Akademi characterize the nation"s uppermost achievement in music, dance and drama. The Awards in Hindustani and Carnatic music were instituted as early as 1951 and these were known as Presidential Awards. With the arrangement of the Akademi, the Awards came to be known as Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards, and the inauguration became the accountability of the Akademi. The Presidential Awards for 1952 and 1953 were next included in the list of Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards.

Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards
Most popular awards by Sangeet Natak Akademi are:

Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna Sadasyata): The most prominent and extraordinary honor of Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna Sadasyata) was limited to 30 renowned persons at any given time till last year. The first Fellow of the Akademi was elected in 1954, and till date, the Akademi has honored 123 renowned personalities as Akademi Fellows (Akademi Ratna).

Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Awards): Akademi Awards may be conferred on eminent practitioners, gurus and scholars of music, dance and theatre for sustained individual achievement of high professional order. The Akademi Awards may be conferred annually and the total number of Awards in a year shall not exceed 33. Each Akademi Puraskar (Awards) will carry an amount of Rupees 50000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand only) in cash, a Citation, an Angavastram and a Tamrapatra to be issued under the seal of Akademi and signature of its Chairman. Besides, they will also be eligible medical insurance cover up to Rupees One Lakh per annum.

Yuva Puraskar: Sangeet Natak Akademi decided to introduce "Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar" from the year 2006 to be awarded to artists who have demonstrated noticeable talent in the fields of music, dance and drama. Young outstanding practitioners" up to the age of 35 years are qualified to be considered for the Yuva Puraskar every year. The age as on the date of nomination received will be considered from the 1st April of the year of the Puraskar. Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar carries a purse money of Rs 25,000/- (Rupees twenty five thousand only).

The Sangeet Natak Akademi also presents the Tagore Akademi Fellow awards.

Eligibility for Akademi Awards
The Executive Board of the Akademi will have the right to amend any clause or clauses in the guidelines. The eligibility conditions for receiving the awards are listed below:


•The Akademi Ratna and Awards are open to all regardless of nationality race, caste, religion, creed or sex.
•An association institution or organization is not eligible for Akademi Ratna or Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Award).
•No person below the age of 50 will ordinarily be considered for Akademi Ratna, a person considered for an Award will ordinarily be at least 35 years of age.
•A deceased person cannot be considered for Akademi Ratna or Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Award). However, if the death of the person occurs subsequent to the decision of the General Council of the Akademi, the Akademi Ratna/Award will be conferred posthumously.
•A person who has received an Award will not be eligible for the award in any category in subsequent years.
•A recipient of Akademi Ratna will not be eligible for an Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Award) at any stage.
•The members of the General Council will not be eligible for being considered for Akademi Ratna (Fellow) or Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Award) and they may be informed about this provision in writing at the time of their nomination/election to the Executive Board/General Council.
•If two or more persons are jointly engaged in artistic pursuit in any of the categorized area under consideration, the Award may be given to them jointly.
•Akademi Ratna and Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Awards) do not pertain to any single work or achievement but to significant and lasting contribution on a sustained basis over a period of time.
•Canvassing in any form will be treated as disqualification.

Categories of Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards
The Awards are given in five field of activity:

•Music.
•Carnatic Music.
•Creative and Experimental Music.
•Dance.
•Creative dance/Choreography.
•Theatre.
•Playwriting.
•Theatre and Puppetry and Contribution.
•Folk.
•Tribal.

Presentation Ceremony of Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards
The presentation of Akademi Ratna and Puraskar (Awards) is made at a ceremony in New Delhi or any other place as decided by the Chairman of the Akademi. The President of India/ Vice-President of India/ Prime Minister of India or any eminent personality in the field is invited to confer the honors. The Akademi Ratna and Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Awards) are invited to receive the honors in person. As far as possible each Akademi Ratna and Awardees are invited to give public performance at a festival of music, dance and theatre to be organized by the Akademi following the Puraskar (Award) presentation ceremony.