Nashik: The Vishakha Kavya Award–2025 has been announced by the Kusumagraj Chair of Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University. Accordingly, the poetry collection “Vismaranachya Aranyat” by Preshit Siddhabatti from Buldhana has been selected for the first prize. The second and third prizes have been awarded to “Ghungurmala” by Mahananda Mohite (Panvel) and “Yuddh Petle Aahe” by Balasaheb Nagargoje (Beed), respectively.
The award ceremony for the Vishakha Kavya Award–2025 and the Kavivarya Kusumagraj National Lifetime Achievement Literary Award–2025, announced for renowned Odia poet Haraprasad Das, will be held jointly on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the university headquarters. The awards will be presented by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sanjeev Sonawane. The winners will receive cash prizes of ₹21,000, ₹15,000, and ₹10,000, respectively, along with mementoes.
A total of 28 poetry collections were received for the 2025 Vishakha Kavya Award. The preliminary screening committee shortlisted 11 collections, from which the final selection committee chose the winners through a two-tier evaluation process. The process was conducted under the guidance of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sanjeev Sonawane, with Dr Dilip Dhondge, Head of the Kusumagraj Chair, serving as coordinator. The final selection committee members included Randhir Shinde (Kolhapur), Raosaheb Kuvar (Sakri), and Tanvi Amit (Nashik).
Every year, the university’s Kusumagraj Chair presents the Vishakha Kavya Award to a debut poetry collection by emerging poets.
