Every year on the eve of Republic Day, India announces the Padma Awards, one of the country’s highest civilian honours. These awards celebrate people who have made extraordinary contributions in fields such as art, sports, science, medicine, education, literature, public service, and social work. This year, the Padma Awards 2026 recognised 131 remarkable achievers from across India and abroad. On May 25, 2026, President Droupadi Murmu presented the Padma Awards 2026 during the first Civil Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The honours included 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri awards. Among the biggest highlights were veteran actor Dharmendra receiving the Padma Vibhushan posthumously, singer Alka Yagnik and actor Mammootty receiving the Padma Bhushan, and actor R. Madhavan receiving the Padma Shri. Several athletes, scientists, folk artists, doctors, teachers, and grassroots changemakers were also recognised for their inspiring work and lifelong contributions to society.
What are the Padma Awards?
The Padma Awards were started in 1954 and are among India’s most respected civilian honours. They are divided into three categories:
- Padma Vibhushan
- Padma Bhushan
- Padma Shri
The Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award in India, followed by Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
Exclusive: Complete Padma Awards 2026 Winners List
Full Padma Vibhushan winners list 2026
- Dharmendra Singh Deol (Posthumous)
- K T Thomas
- N Rajam
- P Narayanan
- V S Achuthanandan (Posthumous)
Full Padma Bhushan winners list 2026
- Alka Yagnik
- Bhagat Singh Koshyari
- Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy
- Mammootty
- Nori Dattatreyudu
- Pravin Gordhan
- Rohit Sharma
- Shibu Soren
- Sudha Murty
- Tejas Patel
- Vijay Amritraj
- Vikram Sampath
- Yella Venkateswara Rao
Full Padma Shri winners list 2026
- A E Muthunayagam
- Abdul Rashid Sheikh
- Ajit Kumar Doval
- Alok Kumar
- Amitabh Kant
- Anil Kumar Rastogi
- Anke Gowda M
- Anup Jalota
- Armida Fernandez
- Arvind Vaidya
- Arjun Munda
- Ashok Khade
- Ashok Kumar Singh
- Asok Kumar Haldar
- B R Kamboj
- Baldev Singh
- Bhagwandas Raikwar
- Bharat Singh Bharti
- Brij Lal Bhat
- Buddha Rashmi Mani
- Chamu Krishna Shastry
- Chandramouli Gaddamanugu
- Charan Hembram
- Daya Bai
- Deepa Malik
- Devender Pal Singh
- Gajanan Jagannath Mane
- Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid
- Geeta Mahalik
- Ghulam Nabi Shah
- Girish Chandra Murmu
- Gopichand P
- Hally War
- Harmanpreet Kaur
- Harsh Vardhan
- Harvinder Singh
- Hemant Chauhan
- Ila Arun
- Jagdish Joshila
- Jaspal Rana
- Jatin Goswami
- Javed Akhtar
- K V Kamath
- Kailash Chandra Joshi
- Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty
- Kavita Krishnamurthy
- Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
- Kisan Baburao Hazare
- Krishna Kumari Kohli
- Kumar Bose
- Lalit Kumar Mangotra
- Lhanga Boro
- Madugula Nagaphani Sharma
- Mahesh Sharma
- Manoj Kumar
- Manohar Devadoss
- Meenakshi Jain
- Miriyala Apparao
- Mithun Chakraborty
- Mohan Singh Bisht
- Mohanlal
- Mukund Nayak
- Nageshwar Reddy
- Nand Kishore Garg
- Nandlal Pathak
- Nilesh Mandlewala
- P D Vaghela
- Pabitra Margherita
- Pandit Vinayak Torvi
- Pawan Kumar Goenka
- Pratibha Prahlad
- Prosenjit Chatterjee
- R Madhavan
- Radheshyam Khemka
- Rajesh Magow
- Rajinikanth
- Rajkumar Hirani
- Ram Bahadur Rai
- Ramkuiwangbe Newmai
- Ratan Thiyam
- Rekha
- Rohit Sharma
- Sadanam Balakrishnan
- Sadanam Harikumar
- Saina Nehwal
- Sandeep Poundrik
- Sanjay Singh
- Satish Shah (Posthumous)
- Shankar Mahadevan
- Shanti Devi
- Sharda Sinha
- Shubha Mudgal
- Shubha Venkatesh Iyengar
- Sonal Mansingh
- Soumitra Chatterjee Foundation
- Sudha Murty
- Suresh Hanagavadi
- T T Jagannathan
- Taga Ram Bheel
- Taranath Narayan Shenoy
- Tejas Patel
- Thiyam Suryamukhi Devi
- Uday Kotak
- Usha Kiran Khan
- Vijayalakshmi Navaneethakrishnan
- Vikram Sampath
- Vinod Dham
- Vishnu Manohar
- Vivek Atray
- Yella Venkateswara Rao
- Yogeshwar Dutt
- Zahir Ali
- Pabitra Margherita
The Padma Awards celebrate people whose work has helped society in meaningful ways. Some awardees are famous worldwide, while others quietly improve lives through education, healthcare, sports, science, farming, tribal arts, or social service. The awards also help children discover inspiring role models from different regions and professions across India.
FAQs on Padma Award
How many Padma Awards were announced in 2026?
A total of 131 Padma Awards were approved for 2026.
Which is the highest Padma Award?
Padma Vibhushan is the highest among the three Padma categories.
Do Padma Award winners get prize money?
No. Winners receive a medal and a certificate signed by the President of India.
Are Padma Awards only for celebrities?
No. Many winners are teachers, doctors, scientists, tribal artists, athletes, and social workers.
When are the Padma Awards announced?
The awards are usually announced every year on the eve of Republic Day.
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