Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Awards for 2024 were announced on Thursday, honouring outstanding works in Malayalam literature across multiple genres. G R Indugopan’s ‘Aano’ has been selected as the best novel, while Anitha Thampi's ‘Muringa Vazha Karivepp’ won for best poetry collection. V Shinilal’s ‘Garisappa Aruvi Athava Oru Jalayatra’ was chosen as the best short story.

In the Endowment Awards, the C B Kumar Award for essay writing was given to M Swaraj for 'Pookkalude Pusthakam'. K V Ramakrishnan and Eezhacheri Ramachandran were honoured with Akademi Fellowships.  The fellowship includes ₹50,000, a two-sovereign gold medal, a certificate of merit, a shawl (ponnada), and a plaque.                                                     

 The comprehensive contribution awards went to P K N Panicker, Payyanur Kunhiraman, M M  Narayanan, T K Gangadharan, K E N, and Mallika Yunus.  This award comprises ₹30,000, a certificate, a shawl, and a plaque.  This award recognises writers who have made significant contributions to Malayalam literature and are over 70 years old.

'Piththalasalabham' by Sasidharan Naduvil won for best play, Dr K Rajasekharan Nair's 'Njaan Enna Bhavam' for best biography/autobiography, and K R Ajayan's 'Aarohanam Himalayam' for best travelogue.  In the children's literature category, E N Sheeja's 'Ammamanamulla Kanivukal' won. Chinju Prakash's 'Ente Rajyam Ente Shareeram' won for best translation, Niranjan's 'Keralaathe Maidaathmakatha' for best humorous writing, and G Dileep's 'Ramayanathinte Charithrasanchaarangal' for best literary criticism. These awards include ₹25,000, a certificate, and a plaque.

Endowment Awards:
C B Kumar Award (Essay):  'Pookkalade Pusthakam' - M Swaraj
Kuttipuzha Award (Literary Criticism): 'Malayala Sahithya Vimarshanathile Marxist Swaadheenam' - Dr S S Sreekumar
G N Pillai Award (Informative Literature): 'Kathaprasangam, Kalayum Samoohavum' - Dr Soumya K C, 'Aarude Raman?' - Dr T S Shyamkumar
Geetha Hiranyan Award (Short Story): 'Pookkaran' - Salim Sheriff
Youth Poetry Award: 'Ratriyil' - Achankara Durga Prasad