# National Film Award – Special Jury Award (feature film)

The National Film Award – Special Jury Award was one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It was one of several awards presented for feature films. The recipients of Special Jury Award are awarded with Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus), cash prize of ₹2,00,000 and certificate of merit.
The award was instituted in 1978, at 26th National Film Awards and awarded annually for films produced in the year across the country, in all Indian languages. This award considers all the aspects of film making than individual area. At the 70th National Film Awards, the award was discontinued.

## Winners

List of award recipients, showing the year (award ceremony), awarded as, film(s) and language(s) :
| Year | Recipient(s) | Awarded as | Film(s) | Language(s) |
| 1978 (26th) | No award | No award | No award | No award |
| 1979 (27th) | – | Director | Acharya Kripalani | English |
| 1980 (28th) | No award | No award | No award | No award |
| 1981 (29th) | Satyajit Ray | Director | Sadgati | Hindi |
| 1982 (30th) | No award | No award | No award | No award |
| 1983 (31st) | Mankada Ravi Varma | Director | Nokkukuthi | Malayalam |
| 1984 (32nd) | T. S. Ranga | Director | Giddh | Hindi |
| 1985 (33rd) | Sudha Chandran | Actress | Mayuri | Telugu |
| 1986 (34th) | John Abraham | Director | Amma Ariyan | Malayalam |
| 1987 (35th) | M. B. Sreenivasan (posthumously) | Music director | – | – |
| 1988 (36th) | Ashok Ahuja | Director | Vasundhara | Hindi |
| 1989 (37th) | Amitabh Chakraborty | Director | Kaal Abhirati | Bengali |
| 1990 (38th) | Pankaj Kapur | Actor | Ek Doctor Ki Maut | Hindi |
| 1990 (38th) | Sunny Deol | Actor | Ghayal | Hindi |
| 1990 (38th) | Jayabharathi | Actress | Marupakkam | Tamil |
| 1991 (39th) | Soumitra Chatterjee | Actor | Antardhan | Bengali |
| 1992 (40th) | Sivaji Ganesan | Actor | Thevar Magan | Tamil |
| 1992 (40th) | Ketan Mehta | Director | Maya Memsaab | Hindi |
| 1993 (41st) | Shashi Kapoor | Actor | Muhafiz | Urdu |
| 1993 (41st) | Pallavi Joshi | Actress | Woh Chokri | Hindi |
| 1994 (42nd) | Radhu Karmakar (posthumously) | Cinematographer | Param Vir Chakra | Hindi |
| 1994 (42nd) | Shaji N. Karun | Director | Swaham | Malayalam |
| 1995 (43rd) | Shyam Benegal | Director | The Making of the Mahatma | English |
| 1996 (44th) | Amol Palekar | Director | Daayraa | Hindi |
| 1996 (44th) | Kiron Kher | Actress | Sardari Begum | Urdu |
| 1997 (45th) | Jaimala | Actress | Thaayi Saheba | Kannada |
| 1998 (46th) | • Drishyakavya • Ashoke Viswanathan | • Producer • Director | Kitchhu Sanlap Kitchhu Pralap | Bengali |
| 1999 (47th) | Kalabhavan Mani | Actor | Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum | Malayalam |
| 2000 (48th) | Soumitra Chatterjee | Actor | Dekha | Bengali |
| 2001 (49th) | Janaki Vishwanathan | Director | Kutty | Tamil |
| 2002 (50th) | Prakash Raj | Actor | Dhaya | Tamil |
| 2003 (51st) | Manoj Bajpai | Actor | Pinjar | Hindi |
| 2003 (51st) | • Roopkatha • Goutam Halder | • Producer • Director | Bhalo Theko | Bengali |
| 2004 (52nd) | J. Phillip | Actor | Dancer | Tamil |
| 2005 (53rd) | Anupam Kher | Actor | Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara | Hindi |
| 2006 (54th) | Vishal Bhardwaj | Director | Omkara | Hindi |
| 2007 (55th) | • Anil Kapoor • Feroz Abbas Khan | • Producer • Director | Gandhi, My Father | • Hindi • English |
| 2008 (56th) | • NFDC • K. M. Madhusudhanan | • Producer • Director | Bioscope | Malayalam |
| 2009 (57th) | A. Sreekar Prasad | Editor | • Kaminey • Keralavarma Pazhassiraja • Kutty Srank | • Hindi • Malayalam • Malayalam |
| 2010 (58th) | • Bindiya Khanolkar • Sachin Khanolkar • Anant Mahadevan | • Producer • Producer • Director | Mee Sindhutai Sapkal | Marathi |
| 2011 (59th) | Anjan Dutt | • Actor • Director • Singer • Writer | Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona | Bengali |
| 2012 (60th) | Rituparno Ghosh | • Actor • Director • Writer | Chitrangada | Bengali |
| 2012 (60th) | Nawazuddin Siddiqui | Actor | • Dekh Indian Circus • Gangs of Wasseypur • Kahaani • Talaash | Hindi |
| 2013 (61st) | • Viva in En • Mahesh Limaye | • Producer • Director | Yellow | Marathi |
| 2013 (61st) | • Future East Film Pvt Ltd • Ashim Ahluwalia | • Producer • Director | Miss Lovely | Hindi |
| 2014 (62nd) | Bhaurao Karhade | Director | Khwada | Marathi |
| 2015 (63rd) | Kalki Koechlin | Actress | Margarita with a Straw | Hindi |
| 2016 (64th) | Mohanlal | Actor | • Janatha Garage • Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol • Pulimurugan | • Telugu • Malayalam • Malayalam |
| 2017 (65th) | • Sani Ghose Ray • Kaushik Ganguly | • Producer • Director | Nagarkirtan | Bengali |
| 2018 (66th) | • Shraddha Dangar • Shachi Joshi • Denisha Ghumra • Niilam Paanchal • Tarjani Bhadla • Brinda Nayak • Tejal Panchasara • Kaushambi Bhatt • Ekta Bachwani • Kamini Panchal • Jagruti Thakore • Riddhi Yadav • Prapti Mehta | Actresses | Hellaro | Gujarati |
| 2018 (66th) | Indradip Dasgupta | Director | Kedara | Bengali |
| 2019 (67th) | R. Parthiban | • Actor • Director • Producer • Writer | Oththa Seruppu Size 7 | Tamil |
| 2020 (68th) | Ojaswee Sharma | Director | Admitted | • Hindi • English |
| 2021 (69th) | • Vishnuvardhan • Karan Johar • Dharma Productions | • Director • Producer | Shershaah | Hindi |