Winners of BRAC Bank-Samakal Literary Award 2024-2025 announced

Eminent writer Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury and novelist Selina Hossain have received the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024 and 2025, respectively, at the BRAC Bank–Daily Samakal Literary Award ceremony, recognising their outstanding contributions to Bangla literature.

The winners of the BRAC Bank–Daily Samakal Literary Award for 2024 and 2025 were announced at a ceremony held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka on Friday.

BRAC Bank and Daily Samakal have jointly organised the award initiative to promote Bangla literature, recognise literary excellence and inspire writers. The Lifetime Achievement Award was introduced to honour veteran authors who have made significant contributions to Bangla literature.

At the BRAC Bank–Daily Samakal Literary Award 2024, Abul Ahsan Choudhury won in the essay, autobiography, travel and translation category for his book Vidyasagar, Bankimchandra, Rabindranath and Musolman Samaj. Anwara Syed Haq won in the poetry and novel category for her book Shomoy Bohiya Gelo, while Nizam Biswas received the Young Writer Award for his book Jolmakorer Noukabaich.

For the 2025 awards, Nasreen Jahan won in the essay, autobiography, travel and translation category for her book Paloker Chinhogulo. Shaheen Akhtar received the award in the poetry and novel category for her book Manchitra, while Mahbub Mayukh Rishad won the Young Writer Award for his book Cyanide Phool.

Eminent economist and adviser to the caretaker government Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud attended the ceremony as the chief guest. A K Azad, managing director of Times Media Limited; Faruq Mayeenuddin Ahmed, vice-chairperson of BRAC Bank; Syed Abdul Momen, additional managing director and head of SME Banking at BRAC Bank; and Shahed Mohammad Ali, editor of Daily Samakal, were also present, along with prominent literary figures and other distinguished guests.

Under the award programme, each Lifetime Achievement Award recipient receives Tk 5 lakh. Winners in the essay, autobiography, travel story and translation category and the poetry and novel category each receive Tk 3 lakh, while the Young Writer Award carries Tk 2 lakh. All winners also receive a crest and a citation.

A total of 460 books were submitted for the 2024 awards and 510 books for the 2025 awards across the three categories. A jury comprising Begum Akhtar Kamal, Faizul Latif Chowdhury, Abid Anwar and Khalikuzzaman Elias selected the winning books published in 2024 and 2025.

Speaking about the initiative, BRAC Bank Vice-chairperson Faruq Mayeenuddin Ahmed said the award had emerged as a unique example in society, encouraging writers and readers to engage more deeply with literature.

He said the growing recognition also brought greater responsibility, adding that BRAC Bank aspired to help nurture talent, intellectual depth and creativity across Bangladesh through the award.

Syed Abdul Momen, additional managing director and head of SME Banking at BRAC Bank, said the award had generated considerable enthusiasm in the country's literary landscape since its inception and established itself as a significant platform for creative minds.

He said the initiative encouraged writers, particularly emerging talents, to develop their literary work, while readers benefited from greater access to quality literature. BRAC Bank, he added, was proud to support an initiative that promoted the country's literary excellence.

Daily Samakal Editor Shahed Mohammad Ali said the newspaper had consistently championed local culture and literary practices, viewing literature and culture as integral to quality journalism.

He said Daily Samakal would continue to uphold and promote cultural values as an essential part of its journalistic mission.

A K Azad, managing director of Times Media Limited, described the award ceremony as more than a cultural event, saying it reflected the organisers' commitment to social responsibility.

He expressed pride and satisfaction at being associated with the initiative and said that, with continued support, it would expand its scale and impact in the future.