The Bangla Academy has suspended the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2024, just two days after announcing the recipients, following complaints regarding certain nominees.
A meeting of the Bangla Academy Literary Award Committee 2024 on Saturday (25 January) evening led to the decision to review the list, with the awarding body confirming that a revised version will be published within three working days.
The academy’s public relations department later issued a statement confirming the suspension.
"Due to the emerging socio-political situation and complaints regarding some of the nominees, it was discussed that the 'Bangla Academy Literary Award 2024' should be reconsidered," the statement read.
The Bangla Academy also announced that an inquiry would be conducted into the objections raised.
The original list of awardees, made public on Thursday, included prominent names such as playwright Syed Jamil Ahmed and essayist Salimullah Khan, alongside eight other recipients.
However, concerns were soon raised over the lack of female representation.
Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki took to social media on Friday to criticise the omission, calling it "surprising" and suggesting the need for reforms in the nomination process.
The absence of female writers on the list triggered further debate on social media, adding to the controversy surrounding the award.
The initial awardees were: Masud Khan for poetry, Selim Morshed for fiction, Shubhashish Sinha for drama and playwriting, Salimullah Khan for essays, Faruk Nawaz for children’s literature, GH Habib for translation, Mohammad Shahjahan Mia for research, Rezaur Rahman for science, and Mohammad Hannan for contributions to the Liberation War.
The award was originally set to be presented by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at the inauguration of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2025 on 1 February.
According to the Bangla Academy website, the purpose of the award is to "create a conducive environment for education and culture by recognising the creative genius of contemporary living writers of the Bengali language and literature through identifying their overall original contributions."
With the suspension now in place, the literary community awaits the revised list and the academy’s response to the criticisms levelled against its selection process.
