Thiruvananthapuram: Writer E Santosh Kumar has been named the winner of the Vayalar Award for his novel ‘Thapomayiyude Achan’. Reacting to the honour, he said awards are both “an inspiration and a responsibility.”

The winner was selected by a jury comprising novelist and translator T D Ramakrishnan, author and social activist N P Hafiz Mohamad, and short story writer Priya A S. The announcement was made by Perumbadavam Sreedharan, chairman of the judging committee. The award carries a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, a citation, and a statuette. It will be presented at a function to be held at the Nishagandhi Auditorium on October 27.

Santosh Kumar won his first Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 2006 for ‘Chavukali’, a collection of short stories. In 2012, he received the award again for his novel ‘Andhakaranazhi’.