2025 Vishakha Kavya Award winners celebrate Marathi poetry's rising stars

The winners of the 2025 Vishakha Kavya Award have been announced by Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University. This annual prize recognises emerging poets and their debut collections. The ceremony will also honour a veteran writer with a lifetime achievement award.

A total of 28 poetry collections were submitted for this year's Vishakha Kavya Award. After a two-stage selection process—first by a preliminary committee, then by a final panel—the winners were chosen.

Preshit Siddhabatti's Vismaranachya Aranyat took the top prize of ₹21,000. Mahanda Mohite's Ghungurmala secured second place, earning ₹15,000, while Balasaheb Nagargoje's Yuddh Petle Aahe came third with ₹10,000. Each winner will also receive a memento.

The same event will present the Kavivarya Kusumagraj National Lifetime Achievement Literary Award-2025 to Haraprasad Das. Organised by the university's Kusumagraj Chair, the ceremony is scheduled for March 28, 2026.

The awards highlight both new and established voices in Marathi literature. The winners will be formally recognised at the university's upcoming event. Cash prizes and mementoes will be presented to all recipients.