Film actor Prakash Raj, former Indian hockey captain Ashish Ballal, former Air Force pilot Air Marshal Philip Rajkumar, who played a key role in the development of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, and retired judge of the Karnataka High Court P B Bajantri are among the 70 personalities selected by the Karnataka Government for the Rajyotsava Award for the year 2025.
The Karnataka government announced the winners on Thursday night ahead of the Rajyotsava celebrations on November 1 in the state. The 70 awards mark the 70th state formation day for Karnataka.
Renowned writers Rajendra Chenni and Rahamath Tarikere are among the winners in the literature category, while 103-year-old Solgatti Eramma has been selected for social service.
The awardees will get Rs 5 lakh cash and a 25-gram gold medal at a ceremony to mark the state formation day on November 1.
Last year, the 69th Rajyotsava were conferred on personalities including Arun Yogiraj, the sculptor of the Ram Lalla statue installed at the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya; S Balan, a human rights advocate; Jude Felix, former Indian hockey star and coach; T V Ramachandra, an environment researcher from the Indian Institute of Science; and 88-year-old anti-pollution activist Almitra Patel in the fields of sculpture, judiciary, sports and environment.
In 2023, the Congress Government had declared 68 winners of the Rajyotsava award, including S Somanath, then chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), golfer Aditi Ashok, and freedom fighter Puttaswamy Gowda, among others.
Winners of Rajyotsava Award, 2025
Literature
- Prof Rajendra Chenny – Shimoga
- Tumbadi Ramaiah – Tumkur
- Prof R Sunandamma – Chikkaballapur
- Dr H L Pushpa – Tumkur
- Rahmat Tarikere – Chikmagalur
- Shri H.M. Pujara – Vijayapura
Folklore
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- Basappa Bharamappa Chowdmi – Koppala
- B Takappa Kannur – Shimoga
- Sanningappa Sattappa Mushennagola – Belgaum
- Hanumanthappa Marappa, Cheelangi – Chitradurga
- Shri M. Topanna – Kolar
- Shri Somanna Dundappa Dhanagonda – Vijayapura
- Mrs. Sindhu Gujaran – Dakshina Kannada
- Shri L. Mahadevappa Udigala – Mysore
Music
- Devendrakumar Pattar – Koppala
- Madivalaiah Sali – Bidar
Dance
- Prof K Ramamurthy Rao – Mysuru
Film and Television
- Prakash Raj – Dakshina Kannada
- Vijayalakshmi Singh
Administration
- H Siddaiah – retd IAS – Bengaluru South (Ramanagar)
Medical
- Dr Alamma Maranna – Tumkur
- Dr Jayaranganath – Bengaluru Rural
Social Work
- Solgatti Eramma – Bengaluru Rural
- Fakkiri – Dakshina Kannada
- Corinne Antoinette Rana – Udupi
- N Sitarama Shetty – Udupi
- Konandur Lingappa – Shimoga
Miscellaneous
- Umesh Pambada – Dakshina Kannada
- Dr Ravindra Korishetter – Dharwad
- K Dinesh – Bengaluru
- Shantaraju – Tumkur
- Jafar Mohiuddin – Raichur
- Panna Obalaya – Bengaluru Rural
- Shanti Bai K – Ballari
- Pundalika Shastri (Budabudake) – Belagavi
Non-Residents
- Zachary Bajpe (Saudi Arabia)
- P V Shetty (Mumbai)
Environment
- Ramegowda – Chamarajanagar
- Mallikarjuna Ningappa
Agriculture
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- Dr S V Hittalamani – Haveri
- M C Rangaswamy – Hassan
Media
- K Subramanya – Bengaluru
- Anshi Prasanna Kumar – Mysuru
- B M Hanif – Dakshina Kannada
- M Siddharaju – Mandya
Science and Technology
- Ramaiah – Chikkaballapur
- Air Marshal Philip Rajkumar – Davanagere
- Dr R V Nadagowda – Gadag
Cooperation
- Shekar Gowda V Malipatil – Koppal
- Yakshagana
- Shri Kota Suresh Bangera – Udupi
- Irabile Anand Shetty – Udupi
- Krishna Parameshwar Hegde (KP Hegde) – Uttara Kannada
- Bayalata
- Gunduraj – Hassan
Theatre
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- H M Paramashivayya –Bangalore South (Ramanagar)
- L B Sheikh (Master) – Vijayapura
- Bangarappa Khudanpura – Bengaluru
- Mime Ramesh – Dakshina Kannada
- D Ratnamma Desai – Raichur
Education
- M R Jayaram – Bengaluru
- N S Ramegowda – Mysuru
- S B Hosamani – Kalaburagi
- Raj Nagaraju – Belgaum
Sports
- Ashish Kumar Ballal – Bangaluru
- M Yogendra – Mysuru
- Dr Zabina N M (Yoga)
Judiciary
- Justice P B Bhajantri – Bagalkot
Sculpture
- Basanya Monappa Badigera – Yadgir
- Nagalingappa G Gangura – Bagalkot
Painting
Crafts