Sangeet Natak Akademi instituted the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (UBKUP) in the name of Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan for young performing art practitioners upto the age of 40 years in 2006. The reason behind instituting the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar was to encourage and motivate the young artists in the field of music, dance, drama, folk and tribal art forms and other allied performing art forms of the country. About the award The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is given annually to outstanding young artists in the fields of music, dance, drama, folk & tribal arts and puppetry in a special ceremony held in Delhi and also outside Delhi. Yuva Puraskar will be given annually and the total number of Yuva Puraskar in a year shall not exceed 33. Each Yuva Puraskar will carry a prize money of Rs 25000/- (Rupees twenty five thousand only) and a tamrapatra to be issued under the seal of Akademi and signature of its Chairman. Eligibility All Indian nationals upto 40 years of age. Puraskar would not be given posthumously. A person who has received the Puraskar once will not be eligible for the same Puraskar under any other field / category. The members of the General Council will not be eligible for being considered for the Yuva Puraskar. Nomination and selection for awards The following shall have the right to nominate names for Yuva Puraskar: Akademi Ratna Sadasya and Awardees Members of the General Council of the Akademi Chairman / Presidents of State Akademies Secretaries in the States / Union Territories of the Department of Culture Heads of Departments of Performing Arts in recognized Universities / deemed Universities Eminent scholars, experts in the field of performing arts. Every Year the Akademi shall invite nominations for “Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar” by a specified date and the nominations received in accordance with clause 6 (i) will be placed before the Executive Board for short listing of the names for consideration by the General Council. Awardees To view the awardees till date, click here. For more information visit Guidelines for Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar