New Delhi: The Valley of Words — Shabdavali International Literature & Arts Festival announced the winners of the REC-VoW Book Awards 2025 across eight categories, “celebrating excellence in English and Hindi writing as well as children’s and young adult literature”.
Now in its 9th edition, the awards drew over 600 nominations from 75 publishing houses. The organisation said winners were selected through a three-stage process by last year’s awardees, including authors Smriti Ravindra, Manoj Mitta, Uday Prakash, and Shabnam Minwalla. Each award carries a prize of Rs. 1 lakh, along with a citation and participation in a panel discussion at the festival finale in Dehradun on 25 and 26 October.
The winners for this year’s awards include:
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English Fiction: Swallowing the Sun by Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri
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English Non-Fiction: Ananda: An Exploration of Cannabis in India by Karan Madhok
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English Translation: Lavanyadevi by Kusum Khemani, translated by Banibrata Mahanta
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Hindi Translation: Bahattar Meel by Ashok Vatkar, translated by Sulabha Kore
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Hindi Fiction: Suno Kabir by Soni Pandey
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Hindi Non-Fiction: Bidaai De Ma! by Sudhir Vidhyarthi
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Young Adult Literature: art is a voice by Kripa
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Children’s Literature: Cactus Wants a Hug by Neil Flory
ThePrint is the digital media partner for the Valley of Words Book Awards 2025.