Awards

Unlike most traditional awards Toto Funds the Arts (TFA) does not seek or reward artistic accomplishment or commercial success. Instead, we are interested in recognising potential that can be nurtured, validating raw talent and creativity, and encouraging young people to pursue their passion for the arts. Our hope is that the TOTO Awards will be seen as opening out a larger world of opportunity and as the beginning of a lifelong quest.

In 2005, TFA started by giving one TOTO Award – for Music. In subsequent years, the annual TOTO Awards embraced Creative Writing in English, and then Photography, followed by Creative Writing in Kannada, Short Film and, in 2023, Digital Art. Winners, between the ages of 18 and 29, receive a cash prize, a certificate and a handsome (and heavy!!) handcrafted trophy! The jurors for all these awards change from year to year.

For details of the awards in different categories, please read on.

MUSIC

Toto’s first love and TFA’s first award recognises exceptionally talented singer-songwriters and
music bands making any kind of music in India, in any language, from rock to folk or metal to
jazz. The only constraint is that their submissions must be their original content.
Previous winners have represented a wide range of genres such as Metal, Hip Hop,
R&B, Fusion and Electronica, and have come from all corners of India, including the
north-east and Jammu and Kashmir. Music critics, producers and leading practitioners have
beeninvited to form part of the independent panel of jurors.

Read more and apply for the Toto Awards for Music

PHOTOGRAPHY

The TOTO Awards for Photography, which were inaugurated in 2008 in association with
Tasveer, are now supported by the Arts and Photography Foundation. These awards have
applauded photographers who have evoked mood, told stories, documented important histories
or practices, and extended the medium to include texts, graphics and other interventions in the
space of the image. The jurors for these awards, which are given for a thematically connected
series of photographs, comprise established photographers, curators, critics, architects and
leaders of prominent photography organisations.

Read more and apply for the Toto Awards for Photography

CREATIVE WRITING – ENGLISH

Introduced in 2006, the awards in this category have been won by poets, short story writers and
playwrights. The volume of entries has grown exponentially over the years and has explored a
diversity of styles and themes – from performance poetry to science fiction. The composition of
the jury for these awards includes poets, literary critics, novelists, journalists, scholars and
teachers from different parts of the country.

Read more and apply for the Toto Awards for Creative Writing (English)

CREATIVE WRITING – KANNADA

The award for Creative Writing in Kannada was inaugurated in 2011 by the noted Kannada
writer and intellectual U R Ananthamurthy. Supported by Bhoomija Trust since its inception, the
first award in this category was won by writer and theatre person Mounesh Badiger. Since then it has been won by short fiction writers and poets from all over Karnataka, many of whom have
gone on to become published writers and to win literary awards given by the state and central
governments.

Read more and apply for the Toto Awards for Creative Writing (Kannada)

SHORT FILM

Introduced in 2013 and set up in memory of Dr Sanat Kumar Ghosh, the Short Film awards are
supported by O2 Financials. The awards can be won by the directors of animation, documentary,
fiction, experimental, or mixed genre films of 30 minutes or less. Eminent filmmakers, editors,
and film critics and journalists have formed part of the jury over the years.

Read more and apply for the Toto Awards for Short Film

DIGITAL ART

Instituted to honour the memory of the late Mehlli Gobhai, one of India’s finest abstract artists,
the TOTO for Digital Art is the first award to recognise the growing field of digital art in India. It
was introduced in 2023 and is supported by the Estate of Mehlii Gobhai. Given the vastness of
the field, it is currently restricted to digitally drawn or created still images.

Read more and apply for the Toto Awards for Digital Art

Call For Entries – Toto Awards 2025

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. Navigate to the category of your choice from the navigation menu to read the complete rules and apply.

Past Winners