# Rainbow Awards

The Rainbow Awards are awards presented by Dwijen Dinanath Arts Foundation of India to recognize exemplary affirmative work about the lives of sexual and gender minorities in India.
The awards are exclusively for Indians, encompassing the Persons of Indian Origin as well as Overseas Citizens of India.

## History

Sharif D Rangnekar, a former journalist, communications consultant and writer, founded Rainbow Awards. Recognizing the insufficient representation of sexual and gender minorities in mainstream awards, Rangnekar aimed to amplify their voices and ensure acknowledgment without confining them to rigid genres. Rangnekar emphasized the significance of ensuring the representation of diverse voices within sexual and gender minorities, particularly in India, given the varied cultural backgrounds and experiences of community members. Rangnekar stated that these as reason for establishment of Rainbow Awards.

## Categories

As of 2023, the following categories are awarded.

### Lifetime

* The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented for profound contributions to the queer literary world.

### Literature

* The Fiction of the Year is presented for novels, graphic novels or collections of short stories authored by a single author.
* The Non-fiction of the Year is presented for memoirs, biographies, history or other non-fictional works.

### Journalism

* The Feature of the Year is presented for feature story published in digital or print media.
* The Op-Ed of the Year is presented for op-ed piece published in digital or print media.

## Entry process

The awards are exclusively for Indians, encompassing the persons of Indian origin as well as overseas citizens of India.
In the literature category, publishers have the option to nominate a maximum of two entries per sub-category for consideration. For self-published books, authors can directly nominate up to one entry for consideration.
In the journalism category, both digital and print media organizations, along with digital platforms that prioritize views and opinions over news, are eligible to nominate a maximum of two entries. Likewise, freelance writers have the opportunity to nominate up to two entries for consideration.

## Selection process

The jury members are chosen and announced before the commencement of the entry process. The jury excludes any patrons, advisors, partners, or employees of the Dwijen Dinanath Arts Foundation and its affiliate, Rainbow Lit Fest.
The juries evaluate the submissions and decide on the award winners. They invest approximately four months in reviewing the submissions, engaging in discussions among themselves to compile a long list. If a long list exists, it will be made public. The jury then proceeds with their assessments to create a shortlist, which is also released to the public. The jury further refines their evaluation to choose the winner, whose announcement takes place during the award ceremony.

## Winners
### Lifetime

Lifetime Achievement Award :
| Year | Winner | Biography | Ref. |
| 2023 | Hoshang Merchant | A Hyderabad-based poet and professor best known for his anthology Yaraana. | |

### Literature

Fiction of the Year :
| Year | Winner | Work | Ref. |
| 2023 | Niladri R. Chatterjee | Entering the Maze: Queer Fiction of Krishnagopal Mallick. | |
| 2024 | TBA | TBA | |
Non-fiction of the Year :
| Year | Winner | Work | Ref. |
| 2023 | Maya Sharma | Footprints of a Queer History: Life-Stories from Gujarat. | |
| 2024 | TBA | TBA | |

### Journalism

Feature of the Year :
| Year | Winner | Work | Ref. |
| 2023 | Akhil Kang | Brahmin Men Who Love to Eat A** | |
| 2024 | TBA | TBA | |
Op-Ed of the Year :
| Year | Winner | Work | Ref. |
| 2023 | Chittajit Mitra | Queering Translation: Locating Queerness in Indian Languages. | |
| 2024 | TBA | TBA | |