Introduction
The subtopic "Awards & Honours" within the broader theme of Current Affairs is a recurring and high-reward area in the WBCS examination. Over the years, the Commission has consistently framed 12 to 15 questions from this domain, testing candidates on national and international recognitions, their categories, recipients, years, and the underlying criteria. The 12 previous year questions (PYQs) provided span from 2015 to 2023, covering a wide range of awards—from the Nobel Prize and Bharat Ratna to the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Jnanpith Award, Academy Award, and the Order of the Companions of Honour. The difficulty level remains moderate to high, with a clear emphasis on factual recall, but also on context—such as the year of awarding or the specific field.
What makes this subtopic both challenging and rewarding is its dynamic nature. New awards are instituted, existing ones get new recipients, and the Commission often tests recent updates (e.g., the 2017 Nobel in Literature, the 2018 Pulitzer). A serious aspirant must therefore go beyond static lists and understand the institutional framework: who gives the award, the eligibility criteria, the nomination process, and historically significant Indian recipients. This chapter is designed to do exactly that. It builds your foundation from first principles, walks you through every tested and non-tested award of importance, and anchors each fact in the actual PYGs so you know exactly how the Commission thinks.
You will learn not only the "who" and "when" but also the "why"—why certain awards carry prestige, why some years are notable for multiple Indian achievers, and how to avoid the common traps of confusing similar-sounding honours. With two comparison tables, memory aids, and worked examples drawn directly from the PYGs, this chapter will equip you to handle any question on Awards & Honours with confidence.
Core Concepts & Foundations
Before diving into specific awards, it is essential to distinguish between the terms "award", "honour", "prize", and "fellowship". Although often used interchangeably in casual conversation, in the context of the WBCS syllabus they carry distinct meanings.
Award: A formal recognition given to an individual, group, or institution for achievement in a particular field. Awards may be monetary, symbolic (medal/plaque), or both. Examples: Bharat Ratna, Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Honour: A title, decoration, or membership of an order that confers prestige and often a ceremonial status. Honours are typically bestowed by a state or sovereign. Examples: Padma awards, Order of the Companions of Honour.
Prize: A reward (often monetary) given to the winner of a competition or the recipient of a prestigious award. Prizes are usually associated with a specific selection process (e.g., Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize).
Fellowship: A grant of money and occasionally residence given to a scholar or artist to enable them to pursue research or creative work. Some fellowships are also awards (e.g., Rhodes Scholarship, MacArthur Fellowship).
The syllabus for WBCS explicitly lists "Awards & Honours" under Current Affairs, and the official points also include National events (government policies, legislation, appointments, political developments), International affairs (summits, treaties, UN bodies, bilateral relations), Sports, Government schemes, Defence & security, and Science, technology & innovation. While the PYGs provided are almost exclusively about awards, you must keep the broader syllabus in mind because the Commission may integrate sports awards (like Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna) or science awards (like Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize) into a single question on "national awards".
Classification of Awards
A useful way to organise the vast field is to classify awards into six major categories:
- National Civilian Awards (India) – Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri.
- National Film Awards (India) – Dadasaheb Phalke Award, National Film Awards by Directorate of Film Festivals.
- Literary Awards (National & International) – Jnanpith Award, Sahitya Akademi Award, Nobel Prize in Literature, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Booker Prize.
- International Honours – Nobel Prizes (all categories), Order of the Companions of Honour, Academy Awards (Oscars), Pulitzer Prizes, Ramon Magsaysay Award, etc.
- Sports Awards (India) – Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award, Dhyan Chand Award.
- Science & Technology Awards (India) – Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Vigyan Yuva Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, Infosys Prize.
The PYGs you have encountered cover categories 1, 2, 3, and 4. Categories 5 and 6 have not appeared in the given set but are part of the syllabus (under "Sports" and "Science, technology & innovation") and therefore are fair game for future exams.
How Awards Are Given
Awards can be state-sponsored (e.g., Padma awards by Government of India), endowed by foundations (e.g., Nobel Prize by Nobel Foundation), institutional (e.g., Jnanpith Award by Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust), or organisational (e.g., Academy Awards by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). The selection process varies:
- For the Nobel Prize, nominations are invited from qualified nominators and the decision is made by Swedish/Norwegian committees.
- For Padma awards, the Padma Awards Committee (appointed by the Prime Minister) scrutinises recommendations from the public and state governments.
- For the Jnanpith Award, a panel of judges selects from works published in any Indian language.
Understanding these processes helps you answer questions that ask "Who gives the X award?" or "Which institution bestows the Y honour?"