Padma Awards Explained: History, Eligibility,...

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Every Indian family has at least one relative who believes they deserve a Padma Award for surviving Mumbai traffic, raising three kids or making perfect round rotis.

And only if it were that easy to build something worth one of the highest civilian honours in the nation. The Padma Awards have existed since 1954. This year, a total of 131 awards were announced on Republic Day 2026. Out of these, 66 were awarded in the ceremony held on 25th May 2026. The remaining Padma Awards are to be distributed in another ceremony, the date of which has not been announced yet.

The youngest recipient of the Padma Award to date was Anupama Gokhale at 16 years of age, in 1986, for her remarkable achievements in Chess. The oldest recipient is Swami Sivanand, who got it at the age of 120 in 2022, for his selfless societal contributions.

The Evolution & Categories Of Padma Awards

Being instituted in 1954, the Padma Awards have been through suspension, name changes and category changes for decades. The Bharat Ratna was and is the highest civilian honour. Padma Awards came in the following categories initially:

Pahela Varg [Class I]
Dusra Varg [Class II]
Tisra Varg [Class III]

On January 5, 1955, these categories were renamed as follows:

Padma Vibhushan
Padma Bhushan
Padma Shri

These awards stand in the second, third and fourth positions of the highest civilian awards, respectively. Padma Vibhushan is given to people who have contributed to exceptional and distinguished service. Padma Bhushan is given to people who have contributed to distinguished service in a high order. Padma Shri is given to people who have contributed to distinguished service in any field.

The awards recognise exceptional service in fields including:

Art
Literature
Education
Sports
Medicine
Science
Social Work
Public Affairs
Trade & Industry

Suspension Of Padma Awards

The Padma Awards have been a topic of keen interest for the nation for the longest time. Even though it doesn’t involve monetary prizes, it is an honour that would bring forward names who have been working selflessly for years. But there was a time when the national leaders felt that they were unnecessary, and they downright suspended the awards. Below are two such instances:

1978-1979

The Janata Party suspended the Padma Awards, citing that they go against Article 18[1] of the Indian Constitution, which prohibits the state from having titles. They were brought back in the 1980s by the Indira Gandhi government.

1993-1997

They were suspended using the same reason, but later brought back when the court clarified that these were honours and not titles. Thus, they became constitutionally valid.

Nomination & Selection for Padma Awards

Until a few years ago, the Padma awardees were chosen by national leaders or political figures, mainly through the government. But with time, the new government has recently made it a decision of the people of India. It is now referred to as ‘People’s Padma’.

To suggest someone for the Padma Award, these simple steps can be followed:

Any citizen, organisation, or institution can now nominate someone for the Padma Awards through the online government portal: https://www.padmaawards.gov.in/. Self-nominations are also allowed.
The nominations are rigorously evaluated and analysed by the Padma committee formed by the Prime Minister every year. It is headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
Recommendations go to the Prime Minister and the President of India, after which they give the final nod.
Once the list is ready, the announcements are made on 26th January [Republic Day] every year. The ceremony follows in April/May.

No one can use the Padma Title with their name as a prefix or suffix. There should be a 5-year gap between promotions from Padma Shri to Padma Bhushan and from Padma Bhushan to Padma Vibhushan. The total number of awards in a year is strictly 120. Posthumous and NRIs do not count in this. Every individual, regardless of caste/sex, is eligible for nomination.

Winners Of Padma Awards 2026

A total of 131 winners were chosen this year: 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri. 19 women, 16 posthumously awarded and 6 Foreigners. Below is a full list of Padma Awardees with categories.