Two Decades of Literary Excellence: Crossword Book Awards Unveils Jury for Landmark 20th Edition

Celebrating its 20th edition, the Crossword Book Awards has announced an accomplished jury featuring leading authors, journalists, academics and cultural voices who will evaluate entries across fiction, non fiction, business and management, children’s literature and translation.

One of India’s longest running literary honours is entering a significant milestone year with the Crossword Book Awards announcing the jury for its 20th edition. The landmark edition reflects the Awards’ continued commitment to recognising outstanding Indian writing while bringing together accomplished voices from literature, journalism, academia, publishing and the arts to evaluate this year’s entries.
Since presenting its first award in 1998, the Crossword Book Awards has grown from a single recognition into ten award categories that celebrate excellence across multiple genres. Over the years, the Awards have recognised more than 100 books and honoured five distinguished literary personalities with the Lifetime Achievement Award for their contribution to India’s publishing and literary landscape.

The jury for the 2026 edition includes an accomplished line-up of writers and subject experts across five categories.
The Fiction jury comprises bestselling author and screenwriter Anuja Chauhan, acclaimed novelist Manju Kapur and author and filmmaker Samit Basu.
The Non Fiction category will be evaluated by historian and author Anirudh Kanisetti, journalist and Editor in Chief of The Tribune Jyoti Malhotra and journalist and author Naresh Fernandes.
For Business and Management, the jury includes financial educator and author Monika Halan, market strategist Rama Bijapurkar and World Bank economist and author Shrayana Bhattacharya.

The Children’s Literature category will be judged by researcher and author Fiona Fernandez, bestselling children’s writer Payal Kapadia and award winning author Ranjit Lal.
The Translation category brings together poet and novelist Meena Kandasamy, poet and translator Ranjit Hoskote and author and translator Srinath Perur.
Commenting on the announcement, Nidhi Gupta, Director, Crossword Bookstores, said, “The 20th edition of the Crossword Book Awards marks a significant milestone in our journey of recognising and celebrating Indian writing in English. Over the years, the Awards have evolved alongside India’s vibrant literary landscape, honouring exceptional voices and stories across genres. We are privileged to have such an accomplished and diverse jury for this landmark edition and look forward to their thoughtful deliberations as they undertake the rigorous process of identifying the finest books of the year.”

Alongside the Jury Awards, the 2026 edition will also feature the Popular Choice Awards, where readers from across the country will vote for their favourite books. The Awards will also confer the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising an individual whose contribution has made a lasting impact on Indian literature. Previous recipients include Shanta Gokhale, Amitav Ghosh, Sudha Murty, Shashi Tharoor and Ruskin Bond.
The Crossword Book Awards will announce the longlists and shortlists across categories in the coming months before concluding with the annual awards ceremony later this year, where Jury Award winners, Popular Choice Award winners and the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award will be honoured.

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