Padma Awards: It is one of the highest civilian awards of the country and has three classes, that is, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. The awards are conferred in different disciplines/fields of activity, viz., art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature, education, sports, civil service, etc. Padma Vibhushan is given on exceptional and distinguished service; Padma Bhushan on distinguished service of high order; and Padma Shri on distinguished service in any field. The awards are declared during the Republic Day annually.
Awards are given by the President of India at formal events that are conducted at Rashtrapati Bhawan around March / April annually. The President has sanctioned the award of 131 Padma Awards, including 2 duo cases (in a duo case, the award is considered one), as per the following list: These include 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri Awards; 19 of the awardees are women, and the list also has 6 individuals under the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO and 16 posthumous awardees.
Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest Indian civilian award, which is awarded to individuals who have contributed outstanding and distinguished service in arts, literature, science, social work, and the achievement of governmental matters. Padma Vibhushan was the honourable recognition of the distinguished contribution towards the nation in the Padma Awards 2026, with the title given to 5 eminent personalities.
| SN | Name | Field | State / Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shri Dharmendra Singh Deol (Posthumous) | Art | Maharashtra |
| 2 | Shri K T Thomas | Public Affairs | Kerala |
| 3 | Ms. N Rajam | Art | Uttar Pradesh |
| 4 | Shri P Narayanan | Literature and Education | Kerala |
| 5 | Shri V S Achuthanandhan (Posthumous) | Public Affairs | Kerala |
Padma Bhushan is the 3rd highest Indian civilian award, which is given to exceptional service at a high-level in various sectors, including art, literature, science, sports, medicine, and the services of the nation. A total of 13 exceptional personalities were presented with the Padma Bhushan in the Padma Awards 2026 in recognition of their contribution in exceptional ways.
| SN | Name | Field | State / Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ms. Alka Yagnik | Art | Maharashtra |
| 2 | Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari | Public Affairs | Uttarakhand |
| 3 | Shri Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy | Medicine | Tamil Nadu |
| 4 | Shri Mammootty | Art | Kerala |
| 5 | Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu | Medicine | United States of America |
| 6 | Shri Piyush Pandey (Posthumous) | Art | Maharashtra |
| 7 | Shri S K M Maeilanandhan | Social Work | Tamil Nadu |
| 8 | Shri Shatavadhani R Ganesh | Art | Karnataka |
| 9 | Shri Shibu Soren (Posthumous) | Public Affairs | Jharkhand |
| 10 | Shri Uday Kotak | Trade and Industry | Maharashtra |
| 11 | Shri V K Malhotra (Posthumous) | Public Affairs | Delhi |
| 12 | Shri Vellappally Natesan | Public Affairs | Kerala |
| 13 | Shri Vijay Amritraj | Sports | United States of America |
Padma Shri (113) is the fourth-highest civilian award of India, which is given in recognition of notable service in art, literature, education, science, sports, medicine, social work, and in the socio-economic sector. Under the Padma Awards 2026, 113 persons were recognised as Padma Shri, with them having made influential contributions to society and the nation.
| SN | Name | Field | State / Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shri A E Muthunayagam | Science and Engineering | Kerala |
| 2 | Shri Anil Kumar Rastogi | Art | Uttar Pradesh |
| 3 | Shri Anke Gowda M. | Social Work | Karnataka |
| 4 | Ms. Armida Fernandez | Medicine | Maharashtra |
| 5 | Shri Arvind Vaidya | Art | Gujarat |
| 6 | Shri Ashok Khade | Trade and Industry | Maharashtra |
| 7 | Shri Ashok Kumar Singh | Science and Engineering | Uttar Pradesh |
| 8 | Shri Asok Kumar Haldar | Literature and Education | West Bengal |
| 9 | Shri Baldev Singh | Sports | Punjab |
| 10 | Shri Bhagwandas Raikwar | Sports | Madhya Pradesh |
| 11 | Shri Bharat Singh Bharti | Art | Bihar |
| 12 | Shri Bhiklya Ladakya Dhinda | Art | Maharashtra |
| 13 | Shri Bishwa Bandhu (Posthumous) | Art | Bihar |
| 14 | Shri Brij Lal Bhat | Social Work | Jammu and Kashmir |
| 15 | Shri Buddha Rashmi Mani | Others - Archaeology | Uttar Pradesh |
| 16 | Dr. Budhri Tati | Social Work | Chhattisgarh |
| 17 | Shri Chandramouli Gaddamanugu | Science and Engineering | Telangana |
| 18 | Shri Charan Hembram | Literature and Education | Odisha |
| 19 | Shri Chiranji Lal Yadav | Art | Uttar Pradesh |
| 20 | Ms. Deepika Reddy | Art | Telangana |
| 21 | Shri Dharmiklal Chunilal Pandya | Art | Gujarat |
| 22 | Shri Gadde Babu Rajendra Prasad | Art | Andhra Pradesh |
| 23 | Shri Gafruddin Mewati Jogi | Art | Rajasthan |
| 24 | Shri Gambir Singh Yonzone | Literature and Education | West Bengal |
| 25 | Shri Garimella Balakrishna Prasad (Posthumous) | Art | |
| 26 | Ms. Gayatri Balasubramanian and Ms. Ranjani Balasubramanian (Duo) | Art | Tamil Nadu |
| 27 | Shri Gopal Ji Trivedi | Science and Engineering | Bihar |
| 28 | Shri Guduru Venkat Rao | Medicine | Telangana |
| 29 | Shri H V Hande | Medicine | Tamil Nadu |
| 30 | Shri Hally War | Social Work | Meghalaya |
The Padma Awards 2026 are the spirit of excellence in India, a prize of excellence attributed to the most distinguished personalities in the field of art, literature, science, sports, medicine, private service, and social work. Their high-calibre civilian awards are used to encourage generations to come and serve society with positive intent and integrity, as well as innovation, as a form of recognising lifetime dedication and influence nationally as well as internationally.