The AutHer Awards, a joint venture between JK Paper and The Times of India, celebrate women authors who have added value and creativity to the literary space.
The seventh edition of the Awards was attended by some of the biggest names in the literary world. Veteran actor-author Kabir Bedi was the chief guest for AutHer Awards 2026.
Marathi writer and feminist Urmila Pawar, best-known for her autobiography, The Weave of My Life: A Dalit Woman’s Memoirs, was given the Lifetime Achievement Award. The jury said that “through her writing, she has given voice to stories often left unheard, shaping conversations around identity, equality, and justice with remarkable honesty and depth.”
The 2026 winners:
Fiction: Rising Sons, Kavery Nambisan
Children’s books: Ganesh Haloi: Colours of Home, Likla Lall
Nonfiction
Rubber: The Social and Natural History of an Indispensable Substance, Vidya Rajan
A Man For All Seasons: The Life Of KM Panikkar, Narayani Basu
Debut
Invisible in Plain Sight: Voices From the By-Lanes of Kamathipura, Swati Pandey
Tales from the Dawn-Lit Mountains, Subi Taba
Popular choice: Blame it on the Hormones: The Divine Chemistry, The Daily Chaos, Astha Gill
Best manuscript: City of Doom, Saanvi Shabeesh