The Rainbow Awards are awards presented by Dwijen Dinanath Arts Foundation of India to recognize exemplary affirmative work about the lives of sexual and gender minorities in India.[1][2]
| The Rainbow Awards | |
|---|---|
| Current: 2nd Rainbow Awards | |
 | |
| Awarded for | Exemplary affirmative work about the lives of sexual and gender minorities. |
| Venue | Rainbow Lit Fest |
| Country | India |
| Presented by | Dwijen Dinanath Arts Foundation |
| Eligibility | Indians, encompassing the Persons of Indian Origin as well as Overseas Citizens of India. |
| First award | December 10, 2023 |
| Website | therainbowawards |
The awards are exclusively for Indians, encompassing the Persons of Indian Origin as well as Overseas Citizens of India.[1][2] The literature and journalism awards are only granted for English-language works, although English translations of works originally written in official Indian languages are also accepted.[3]
History
editSharif D Rangnekar, a former journalist, communications consultant and writer, founded Rainbow Awards. Recognizing the insufficient representation of sexual and gender minorities in mainstream awards, Rangnekar aimed to amplify their voices and ensure acknowledgment without confining them to rigid genres. Rangnekar emphasized the significance of ensuring the representation of diverse voices within sexual and gender minorities, particularly in India, given the varied cultural backgrounds and experiences of community members. Rangnekar stated that these as reason for establishment of Rainbow Awards.[4][5]
Categories
editAs of 2023, the following categories are awarded.
Lifetime
edit- The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented for profound contributions to the queer literary world.[5]
Literature
editJournalism
edit- The Feature of the Year is presented for feature story published in digital or print media.[1]
- The Op-Ed of the Year is presented for op-ed piece published in digital or print media.[1]
Entry process
editThe awards are exclusively for Indians, encompassing the persons of Indian origin as well as overseas citizens of India.[2]
In the literature category, publishers have the option to nominate a maximum of two entries per sub-category for consideration. For self-published books, authors can directly nominate up to one entry for consideration.[2]
In the journalism category, both digital and print media organizations, along with digital platforms that prioritize views and opinions over news, are eligible to nominate a maximum of two entries. Likewise, freelance writers have the opportunity to nominate up to two entries for consideration.[2]
Selection process
editThe jury members are chosen and announced before the commencement of the entry process. The jury excludes any patrons, advisors, partners, or employees of the Dwijen Dinanath Arts Foundation and its affiliate, Rainbow Lit Fest.
The juries evaluate the submissions and decide on the award winners. They invest approximately four months in reviewing the submissions, engaging in discussions among themselves to compile a long list. If a long list exists, it will be made public. The jury then proceeds with their assessments to create a shortlist, which is also released to the public. The jury further refines their evaluation to choose the winner, whose announcement takes place during the award ceremony.[2]
Winners
editLifetime
edit| Year | Winner | Biography | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Hoshang Merchant | A Hyderabad-based poet and professor best known for his anthology Yaraana.[6] | [5] |
| 2024 | Minakshi Sanyal | ||
| 2025 | Saleem Kidwai | Historian | [7] |
Literature
edit| Year | Winner | Work | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Niladri R. Chatterjee | Entering the Maze: Queer Fiction of Krishnagopal Mallick[8] | [5] |
| 2024 | Yashraj Goswami | Cockatoo | [9] |
| 2025 | Santanu Bhattacharya | Deviants: The Queer Family Chronicles | [7] |
| Year | Winner | Work | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Maya Sharma | Footprints of a Queer History: Life-Stories from Gujarat[10] | [5] |
| 2024 | Abishek Anicca | The Grammar of My Body | [9] |
| 2025 | Arundhati Ghosh | All Our Loves: Journeys with Polyamory in India | [7] |
Journalism
edit| Year | Winner | Work | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Akhil Kang | "Brahmin Men Who Love to Eat A**"[11] | [5] |
| 2024 | Smitha Tumuluru | "Everyone Accepts Me The Way I Am" | [9] |
| 2025 | Naina Bhargava | "Love and Loss in Multai" | [7] |
| Year | Winner | Work | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Chittajit Mitra | "Queering Translation: Locating Queerness in Indian Languages"[12] | [5] |
| 2024 | Shruti Sunderraman | "Where do the quiet gays go?" | [9] |
| 2025 | Katyayini Saksham | "Can Trans Women Ever "Identify" as Women in India?" | [7] |
See also
edit
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Scroll Staff (May 25, 2023). "Inaugural Rainbow Awards to honour queer literature and journalism". Scroll.in.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Criteria & Process for Entries". Rainbow Awards. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023.
- ↑ "The Rainbow Awards FAQ". Rainbow Awards. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- ↑ "The Rainbow Awards for Literature and Journalism will celebrate queer-inclusive writing in India". Vogue India. December 26, 2023. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sharma, Saurabh (December 11, 2023). "Rainbow Lit Fest 2023: Winners of the inaugural Rainbow Awards for Literature and Journalism announced". Moneycontrol. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023.
- ↑ Nanisetti, Serish (September 10, 2018). "'Homosexuality is endemic where capitalism thrives,' says Hoshang Merchant". The Hindu. thehindu.com.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Rainbow Lit Fest, focusing on queer stories, has announced its 2025 writing awards". Scroll.in. December 8, 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- ↑ Mallick, Krishnagopal (2023). Entering the maze: queer fiction of Krishnagopal Mallick. Translated by Chatterjee, Niladri R. New Delhi: Niyogi Books. ISBN 978-93-91125-90-5.
- 1 2 3 4 "2024". Rainbow Awards. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- ↑ Sharma, Maya (2022). Footprints of a queer history: life-stories from Gujarat. New Delhi, India: Yoda Press. ISBN 9789382579359. OCLC 1347785526.
- ↑ Kang, Akhil (January 5, 2023). "Brahmin Men who love to Eat A**". Decolonizing Sexualities Network. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023.
- ↑ Mitra, Chittajit (September 29, 2022). "Essay: Queering translation: Locating queerness in Indian languages". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022.