The government has nominated nine distinguished individuals and one institution for the Ekushey Padak 2026 in recognition of their contributions to various fields.

The announcement was made on Thursday, February 5, at a press briefing held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka following a meeting of the Advisory Council. Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam informed the media of the decision.

This year’s recipients include Farida Akhtar Bobita for her contribution to film, Professor Md Abdus Sattar in fine arts, architect Marina Tabassum for architecture, the late Ayub Bachchu in music, Arthi Ahmed in dance, Islam Uddin Palakar in drama, Shafik Rehman in journalism, Professor Dr Mahbubul Alam Majumdar in education, and Tejas Halder Jash in sculpture.

In addition, the popular band music group Warfaze has been selected for the award under the institutional category.

The Ekushey Padak, the country’s second-highest civilian honour, is awarded annually in the spirit of the Language Movement to recognise individuals and institutions for their distinctive and significant contributions to literature, culture, education, arts and social life.