Nurturing Young Artists

TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA), which has entered its 21st year, invites young musicians, writers, photographers, filmmakers and digital artists to send in their submissions for the 2025 TOTO Awards.

There are ten awards to be won, each carrying a cash prize of ₹60,000—two each for Music, Photography, Creative Writing in English, and Short Film, and one each for Creative Writing in Kannada and Digital Art.  

The Music Awards are being supported by Badri Vishal; the English Creative Writing Awards by Naboneeta Majumdar (in memory of Dipali and Nitai Majumdar) and Sarita Vellani; the Kannada Writing Award by Bhoomija Trust; the Photography Awards by the Art & Photography Foundation; the Short Film Awards by O2 Financials and the Digital Art Award by the Estate of Mehlli Gobhai.  The winner(s) under each category will be decided by an independent panel of jurors. 

Toto Funds the Arts was founded in 2004 in memory of Angirus ‘Toto’ Vellani who was intensely passionate about music, literature and films. Toto’s untimely demise spurred his family and friends to create a non-profit foundation that would encourage the young to give expression to their artistic ideas. The annual TOTO awards are intended to recognise their potential for excellence in various artistic fields. 

Indian citizens between the ages of 18 and 29 are eligible to apply. Full details about eligibility, application process, and submission deadline for each award category can be found at https://totofundsthearts.org/awards

TFA does not entertain queries on the phone. Applicants are requested to send in their submissions only after checking all the details pertaining to the application process. The last date for submissions is 15 September 2024 (Digital Art category extended to 30 September 2024). Navigate to the category of your choice from the menu below to read the complete list of rules and apply.