Prime Minister Tareq Rahman has presented the ‘Ekushe Padak 2026’, the country’s second-highest civilian honor, to the recipients in recognition of their significant contributions to various fields in Bangladesh.

He formally conferred the awards at a ceremony held on Thursday (February 26) morning at the Osmany Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka. In addition to the awardees, members of the cabinet, high-ranking military and civilian officials, and invited dignitaries were present at the event.

According to a press release issued on February 19 by the event branch of the Ministry of Culture, nine individuals and one institution were nominated for this year’s Ekushe Padak.

Ekushe Padak Recipients:
Acting: Farida Akhter Babita
Fine Arts: Professor Dr. Md. Abdus Sattar
Architecture: Marina Tabassum
Music: Ayub Bachchu (Posthumous)
Dance: Arthi Ahmed
Palagan: Islam Uddin Palakar
Journalism: Shafik Rehman
Education: Professor Dr. Mahbubul Alam Majumder
Sculpture: Tejas Halder Jos

Additionally, the band Warfaze was honored with the award for its contributions to music.

It is noteworthy that the Ekushe Padak is a national and the second-highest civilian honor in Bangladesh. This award has been presented since 1976 in recognition of the spirit of the Language Movement and unique contributions in various fields of the country.