New Delhi, Mar 15 (UNI) The government on Saturday announced the nominations for the prestigious Padma Awards 2026, by inviting recommendations from both citizens and organisations.

According to a Home Ministry statement, the civilian honours will be announced on Republic Day, 2026, recognising exceptional contributions across diverse fields, including art, literature, education, sports, medicine, science, social service, and more.

The last date for nominations for Padma Awards is 31st July. The nominations or recommendations will only be received online on the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal (https://awards.gov.in).

The awards, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, are amongst the highest civilian awards of the country. Instituted in 1954, these awards are announced on the occasion of the Republic Day every year.

All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these awards. Government servants including those working with PSUs, except doctors and scientists, are not eligible for Padma Awards.

The statement said that concerted efforts may be made to identify talented persons whose excellence and achievements really deserve to be recognised from amongst women, weaker sections of the society, SCs and STs, divyang persons and who are doing selfless service to the society.

Details in this regard are also available under the heading 'Awards and Medals' on the website of Ministry of Home Affairs (https://mha.gov.in) and on the Padma Awards Portal (https://padmaawards.gov.in).

The statutes and rules relating to these awards are available on the website with the link https://padmaawards.gov.in/AboutAwards.aspx .

UNI RBE CS