President Droupadi Murmconferred the Padma Awards 2026 during the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, on 25 May 2026. The awards were presented to distinguished personalities from fields such as art, literature, education, sports, medicine, public affairs, and social work for their exceptional contributions to the nation. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Key Highlights
A total of 131 Padma Awards were approved for 2026, including:
5 Padma Vibhushan
13 Padma Bhushan
113 Padma Shri awards.
During the first Civil Investiture Ceremony, President Murmpresented 66 Padma honours to awardees from different fields. Veteran actor Dharmendra was honoured posthumously with the Padma Vibhushan for his contribution to Indian cinema. Actress Hema Malini received the award on his behalf.
About Padma Awards:
Instituted in: 1954
The Padma Awards are among India’s highest civilian honours and are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. They are conferred in three categories:
Padma Vibhushan – Exceptional and distinguished service
Padma Bhushan – Distinguished service of high order
Padma Shri – Distinguished service in any field.
The awards are given in various disciplines including:
Art
Literature and Education
Science and Engineering
Medicine
Social Work
Sports
Public Affairs
Trade and Industry.
About Civilian Awards in India:
Bharat Ratna is India’s highest civilian award.
Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award.
Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award.
Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian award.
Selection Process:
The Padma Awards Committee is constituted annually by the Prime Minister.
Recommendations are received from:
State Governments
Union Territories
Ministries
Previous awardees
Members of Parliament
General public.
About Rashtrapati Bhavan
Located in: New Delhi
Official residence of the President of India
Designed by: Edwin Lutyens
Earlier known halls:
Durbar Hall renamed as Ganatantra Mandap
Ashok Hall renamed as Ashok Mandap in 2024
Padma Awards 2026 –List
Padma Vibhushan Awardees 2026
AwardeeFieldState/Country
Dharmendra (Posthumous)ArtMaharashtra
K. T. ThomasPublic AffairsKerala
N. RajamArtUttar Pradesh
P. NarayananLiterature & EducationKerala
V. S. Achuthanandan (Posthumous)Public AffairsKerala
Padma Bhushan Awardees 2026
AwardeeFieldState/Country
Alka YagnikArtMaharashtra
Bhagat Singh KoshyariPublic AffairsUttarakhand
K. R. PalaniswamyMedicineTamil Nadu
MammoottyArtKerala
Nori DattatreyuduMedicineUSA
Piyush Pandey (Posthumous)ArtMaharashtra
S. K. M. MaeilanandhanSocial WorkTamil Nadu
R. Ganesh ArtKarnataka
Vijay AmritrajSportsTamil Nadu
ShibSoren (Posthumous)Public AffairsJharkhand
Uday KotakTrade & IndustryMaharashtra
R. C. LahotiPublic AffairsDelhi
Teejan Bai ArtChhattisgarh
Notable Padma Shri Awardees 2026:
Sports
Rohit Sharma
Harmanpreet Kaur
Savita Punia
Cinema & Entertainment
R. Madhavan
Prosenjit Chatterjee
Satish Shah (Posthumous)
Literature & Education
Charan Hembram
Rabilal Tudu
Social Work & Others
Several grassroots workers, tribal artists, doctors, teachers, and folk artists from across India were honoured under the Padma Shri category.
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