The Katha Awards were instituted in 1990 for Creative Writing, Translation and Editing. They have been among India’s premier recognitions in literature. Some of our laureates include Krishna Sobti, Vijay Tendulkar, Vijayadan Detha and younger voices like Afsar Ahmed, NS Madhavan, Meghna Pethe, Asha Bage,  Maitreyi Pushpa and others.

Through projects like the National and International Translation Contests, Katha is one of the few organizations that regularly enlarges its pool of translators. Thus, in innovative ways, it attempts to build a bank of sensitive translators.

The Chitrakala contest is a unique initiative undertaken by Katha to bring the very best in the world of children’s publishing to our country. Instituted in 1998, this contest culminates in an award to recognize and honour established or emerging talent in children’s illustrations and storytelling, and those whose work displays creativity of a rare calibre.

• The Katha Chudamani recognizes lifetime achievement to literature
• The A K RAMANUJAN Award goes to a translator who can, with felicity, translate between two or more Indian languages, as Ramanujan himself was able to. A K Ramanujan was a Friend of Katha and this award was instituted in 1993.
• The Kathakaari Award goes to a writer who renders the stories from our folklore and oral traditions into the written form, thereby making the stories available to future generations.
• The Kathavachak Award goes to a storyteller who with creativity and elan recreates folk tales from the oral tradition as stories to live our lives by.
• Katha wins the FICCI Children’s Book of the Year Special Jury Award for 2019!