India’s most expensive literary award — the JCB Prize for Literature — is officially discontinued; everything to know
In just seven years, the JCB Prize for Literature changed the landscape of Indian writing, but now the transformative era has come to an unexpected end
In a move that has left the Indian literary world stunned, the JCB Prize for Literature — once the country’s most lucrative book award — has officially been discontinued. The ₹25-lakh award, which honoured the best work of fiction by an Indian author each year, has been shut down, with no future editions planned.
The confirmation came on June 21 from Mita Kapur, Literary Director of the JCB Prize, who said, “The prize has been shut down. I am not going to deny something that is evident. But for everything else, ‘no comment’.” The last winner of the award was Upamanyu Chatterjee in 2024, for his novel Lorenzo Searches for the Meaning of Life.
While the reasons for the shutdown remain unclear, the decision closely follows the cancellation of the JCB Literature Foundation’s licence. A notice dated March 12 on the award’s official website stated that the foundation had applied to the Registrar of Companies, Delhi & Haryana, seeking to revoke its Section 8(5) license under the Companies Act, 2013. It added that the organisation would now be reclassified as a “Private Limited” company, no longer functioning as a foundation. The award was given by the ‘foundation’, which was established to promote the “art of literature in India”.
About the JCB Prize for Literature
Founded in 2018, the JCB Prize was widely celebrated not just for its generous cash prize, but for its commitment to promoting Indian fiction across languages. Five out of the seven winning books were translations — a reflection of the prize’s dedication to linguistic diversity. Landmark winners included Jasmine Days by Benyamin (translated from Malayalam), Delhi: A Soliloquy by M Mukundan (Malayalam), The Paradise of Food by Khalid Jawed (Urdu), and Fire Bird by Perumal Murugan (Tamil).
Each shortlisted author received ₹1 lakh, and in the case of a translated work, the translator was awarded ₹50,000. When a translated novel won, the translator took home an impressive ₹10 lakh alongside the author’s ₹25 lakh.
As tributes pour in from authors, publishers, and translators across the country, the loss of the JCB Prize marks the end of a short yet impactful chapter in Indian literary history.
