BRAC Bank, Samakal announce literary awards for 2024 and 2025

Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury and novelist Selina Hossain have received lifetime achievement honours for 2024 and 2025 respectively at the BRAC Bank–Daily Samakal Literary Awards, which also recognised six writers across three categories.

The awards were announced at a ceremony at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka on 9 October, 2026, according to the press release.

BRAC Bank and Daily Samakal have jointly honoured writers to promote Bangla literature and encourage literary pursuits. They introduced the "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recognise veteran authors for their significant contributions to Bangla literature.

For the 2024 awards, Abul Ahsan Choudhury won in the essay, autobiography, travel and translation category for "Vidyasagar, Bankimchandra, Rabindranath and Musolman Samaj".

Anwara Syed Haq won in the poetry and novel category for "Shomoy Bohiya Gelo", while Nizam Biswas received the Young Writer Award for "Jolmakorer Noukabaich".

For the 2025 awards, Nasreen Jahan won in the essay, autobiography, travel and translation category for "Paloker Chinhogulo".

Shaheen Akhtar won in the poetry and novel category for "Manchitra", while Mahbub Mayukh Rishad received the Young Writer Award for "Cyanide Phool".

Economist Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud, an adviser to the caretaker government, addressed the ceremony as the chief guest.

Others present included AK 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. Writers and other prominent personalities also attended.

Each lifetime achievement award carries a prize of Tk5 lakh. Winners in the essay, autobiography, travel and translation category and the poetry and novel category received Tk3 lakh each, while each Young Writer Award recipient received Tk2 lakh.

The winners also received crests and citations.

A total of 460 books were submitted for the 2024 awards and 510 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 the respective years.

Speaking about the initiative, Faruq Mayeenuddin Ahmed said, "Our award has emerged as a unique example in society, inspiring both writers and readers to engage more deeply with literature. At the same time, we recognise that this growing recognition brings with it a greater responsibility to do more. Through this award, we aspire to contribute to nurturing the talent, intellectual depth and creativity of people across Bangladesh."

Syed Abdul Momen said, "Since its inception, this literary award has sparked great enthusiasm in Bangladesh's literary landscape and firmly established its presence. It serves as an inspiration for creative minds and offers a meaningful platform for writers, especially emerging talents, to thrive in literature. Readers, in turn, will benefit from access to quality works. At BRAC Bank, we are proud to support this initiative that nurtures the country's literary excellence."

Shahed Mohammad Ali said, "Samakal has always championed local culture and literary practice. We believe literature and culture are integral to the pursuit of quality journalism. Samakal will continue to uphold and promote cultural values as an essential part of its journalistic mission."

AK Azad said, "This literary award ceremony is more than a cultural event – it reflects our commitment to social responsibility. We are proud and delighted to be associated with this initiative. With everyone's support, this initiative will not only continue but also grow in scale and impact in the future."