Nominations for Padma Awards 2027 open; submissions to close on July 31

The Centre has opened nominations and recommendations for the Padma Awards 2027, one of the country’s highest civilian honours. The nomination process began on March 15 and will remain open until July 31, 2026.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), nominations will be accepted only through the online Rashtriya Puraskar Portal. The awards will be announced on the occasion of Republic Day in 2027.

Instituted in 1954, the Padma Awards are among India’s highest civilian honours and are presented in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

The awards recognise “work of distinction” and are given for exceptional achievements or service across a wide range of fields, including art, literature and education, sports, medicine, social work, science and engineering, public affairs, civil service, trade and industry.

All individuals are eligible for the awards regardless of race, occupation, position or gender. However, government servants, including employees of public sector undertakings, are generally not eligible, except for doctors and scientists.

The MHA said that the government is committed to transform Padma Awards into “People’s Padma”, encouraging citizens to nominate deserving individuals. Self-nominations are also allowed.

The MHA added that concerted efforts may be made to identify talented persons whose excellence and achievements really deserve to be recognized from amongst women, weaker sections of the society, Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), divyang persons and who are doing selfless service to the society.

The nominations must include detailed information about the nominee’s distinguished achievements in their respective fields, as specified in the format available on the portal.

Further details about the awards and the nomination process are available on the MHA website and the Padma Awards portal.