President Droupadi Murmu presented the Padma Awards 2026 during the Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, recognising outstanding contributions made by personalities across cinema, sports, public affairs, literature, education, medicine, trade and social service. The Padma Awards are among India’s highest civilian honours and are presented every year to individuals for exceptional achievements in their respective fields. This year, the Union government announced 131 awardees across the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri categories. Several prominent personalities from entertainment, sports and business were honoured during the ceremony held in the presence of dignitaries and invited guests.
Prominent names honoured at Padma Awards 2026
Veteran actor Dharmendra was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his contribution to Indian cinema, with Hema Malini accepting the honour on his behalf. Advertising veteran Piyush Pandey received the Padma Bhushan, while Indian women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur was conferred the Padma Shri for her achievements in cricket.
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Other notable recipients included Malayalam superstar Mammootty, singer Alka Yagnik, actor R Madhavan, Prosenjit Chatterjee and former CRPF Director General K Vijay Kumar. The ceremony also recognised achievers from fields such as literature, medicine, social work and education, highlighting the diversity of talent and service celebrated through the Padma Awards.
Full list of winners –
Padma Shri:
Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, former UGC Chairman – Literature and Education
K Pajanivel – Traditional martial arts
Satyanarayan Nuwal, Solar Group chairman-Defence manufacturing ecosystem
Kailash Chandra Pantenior, senior journalist
Praveen Kumar, Paralympic gold medalist
Harmanpreet Kaur, Indian women’s cricket team captain
R. Krishnan Kitna (Posthumous)
Prof. (Dr.) Lars-Christian Koch
HV Hande
Gafaruddin Mewati Jogi
Mir Haji Kasam
Raghuvir Khedkar
Prosenjit Chatterjee
Devaki Amma G
Ramchandra Godbole & Suneeta Godbole (Duo)
Techi Gubin
Ratilal Mohanlal Borisagar
Kumar Bose
Janardan Bapurao Bothe
Swami Brahamdev
Bishwa Bandhu (Posthumous)
Bharat Singh Bharti
Taga Ram Bheel
Shatavadhani Dr. R. Ganesh
Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Uday Sureshkumar Kotak
Vijay Kumar Malhotra (Posthumous)
A high recognition for a true champion
President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmuji (@rashtrapatibhvn) confers #TeamIndia captain Harmanpreet Kaur (@ImHarmanpreet) with the prestigious Padma Shri award pic.twitter.com/JBSf3ys2Y8
— BCCI (@BCCI) May 25, 2026
Padma Vibhushan
Late Dharmendra, legendary actor
Dr. N. Rajam
Padma Bhushan
Late Piyush Pandey, advertising legend
Dr. Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy
