Centenary Event and Presentation of the Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize 2025 The 100th birth anniversary of Srinivas Rayaprol (R.S. Marthandam) was celebrated on October 25, 2025, at the Secunderabad Club, a place that held special meaning for the poet. The event brought together family, poets, writers, scholars, and admirers of Rayaprol from across India and […]

Mubashira Patel, a 26-year-old student of Sociology at Mumbai University, is the winner of the 2025 Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize. She was selected from among 126 competitors this year by the poet and founder-editor of the literary journal, Almost Island, Sharmistha Mohanty and two faculty members of the Department of English at the University of Hyderabad who constituted the jury.  Abhilipsa Sahoo has received special mention from the jury.

Mubashira, who has been writing since she was eight years old, is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Sociology and calls herself “a literature aficionado, an amateur philosopher, and a newly published poet.”  Her academic work intersects with themes of marginal voices and cultural memory. Her writing often emerges alongside this inquiry, shaped by lyric form and a drive toward emotional excavation. Among her other passions are fanfiction and anime.

Call for Entries: 17th Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize 2025
The Srinivas Rayaprol Literary Trust, in collaboration with the Department of English, University of Hyderabad, invites submissions for the 17th Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize. Open to Indian citizens aged 20–40 writing poetry in English, the prize includes a cash award of ₹15,000 and will be presented on October 25, 2025, commemorating the birth centenary of Srinivas Rayaprol. Submit three unpublished poems, proof of age, and contact details via email by September 01, 2025.
Email: rayaproltrust@gmail.com

Ajay Kumar, a 23-year old student of English Literature, is the winner of the 2024 Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize. He was selected from among 66 competitors this year by the Mumbai-based poet, Menka Shivdasani and two faculty members of the Department of English at the University of Hyderabad who constituted the jury. Neethu Krishnan, Aparna Chivukula, and Nikita Parikh have been shortlisted and received special mention from the jury.

16th Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize 2024  Call for Entries    Entries are invited from Indian citizens between 20-40 years of age and writing poetry in English for the 16th Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize. The Prize was instituted by the Srinivas Rayaprol Literary Trust to recognize excellence in poetry written in English and is being administered […]

Nikita Deshpande, a Mumbai-based writer, has emerged as the winner of the 15th Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize. She has been selected from a pool of about 120 entries for this year’s prize by a jury consisting of poet, Sridala Swami and two faculty members of the Department of English, University of Hyderabad. The Srinivas Rayaprol Literary Trust also announced the name of Shalim Hussain of Assam as being on the prize shortlist this year.

Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize 2023  Call for Entries    Entries are invited from Indian citizens between 20-40 years of age and writing poetry in English for the 15th Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize. The Prize was instituted by the Srinivas Rayaprol Literary Trust to recognize excellence in poetry written in English and is being administered jointly […]

Dr. Syam Sudhakar, a bilingual poet, was presented with the 14th Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize at the Hyderabad Literary Festival 2023 by Mani Rao, poet and jury member, and Prof. Aparna Rayaprol from Srinivas Rayaprol Literary Trust and the Rayaprol family.

Dr. Syam Sudhakar, a bilingual poet who writes in English and Malayalam, won the 2022 Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize. A lecturer in English Literature at the St. Thomas College, Thrissur, he was chosen from among 114 entries received this year by a jury consisting of the noted poet, Mani Rao and two faculty members of the Department of English, University of Hyderabad.

Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize 2022  Call for Entries    Entries are invited from Indian citizens between 20-40 years of age and writing poetry in English for the thirteenth Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize. The Prize was instituted by the Srinivas Rayaprol Literary Trust to recognize excellence in poetry written in English and is being administered jointly […]

Pervin Saket, a Pune-based writer and poet, is the winner of the 2021 Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize. Selected from a field of about 80 talented contestants from across the country by a distinguished jury consisting of Vinay Dharwadker, author and Professor of English Literature at University of Wisconsin-Madison and two faculty members of the Department of English, University of Hyderabad, Pervin will be the 13th recipient of the prestigious literary award. Krishnakumar Sankaran and Kinshuk Gupta were among those shortlisted for the prize.

Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize 2021  Call for Entries    Entries are invited from Indian citizens between 20-40 years of age and writing poetry in English for the thirteenth Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize. The Prize was instituted by the Srinivas Rayaprol Literary Trust to recognize excellence in poetry written in English and is being administered jointly […]

Satya Dash, a 29-year old poet and independent artist based in Bangalore, was the 12th Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize. Dash, who grew up in Cuttack, Odisha, was selected from a field of 180 contestants from all over the country by a jury consisting of the well-known poet and writer, Mamang Dai, and two faculty members from the Department of English, University of Hyderabad.  Huzaifa Pandit, Stuti Pachisia, and Pervin Saket are the other poets who made it to the jury’s shortlist.

Satya Dash,a 29-year old poet and independent artist based in Bangalore, has been chosen for the 12th Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize. Dash, who grew up in Cuttack, Odisha, was selected from a field of 180 contestants from all over the country by a jury consisting of the well-known poet and writer, Mamang Dai, and two faculty members from the Department of English, University of Hyderabad.  Huzaifa Pandit, Stuti Pachisia, and Pervin Saket are the other poets who made it to the jury’s shortlist.