Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) has announced that it will hand over the prestigious Shilpakala Padak to 20 recipients for the calendar years 2020 and 2019.

A total of 18 cultural luminaries and two revered cultural organizations are receiving the award which will be handed over at a gala event at BSA on Thursday.

BSA Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky shared the details of the award ceremony at a press conference held at the National Theater Hall seminar room on Tuesday.

President Abdul Hamid will virtually join the event as the chief guest.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Cultural Affairs Secretary Md Abul Monsur will join the award ceremony at BSA’s National Theater Hall auditorium as the special guest, which will be presided over by State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid.

The 2020 award winning cultural personalities are - Malay Bhowmick (dramatics), Mahmudur Rahman Benu (vocalist), Shahid Kabir (fine arts), Shameem Akhtar (film), Shibli Mohammad (dance), Shah Alam Sarkar (folklore), Shamsur Rahman (instrumental/shehnai), Shafiqul Islam Swapan (photography), Dahlia Ahmed (recitation), and Dinajpur Natya Samity (creative cultural unit).

The recipients of 2019 award are - Masud Ali Khan (dramatics), Hasina Momtaz (vocalist), Abdul Mannan (fine arts), Anupam Hayat (film), Lubna Marium (dance), Shamvu Acharaya (folklore), Mohammad Moniruzzaman (instrumental - flute), M A Taher (photography), Hasan Arif (recitation), and cultural institution Chhayanaut (creative cultural unit).

Each award recipient will get a gold medal, a cheque for Tk 1 lakh, and a certificate.

The award has been conferred on deserving creative personalities for their continuous contributions in several fields of arts, culture, entertainment and literature since 2013.

However, the award was not conferred in 2019 and the ceremony could not take place in 2020 due to global pandemic of COVID-19.