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.
An update from TFA
[26/08/2026]
This year (2027), we are taking a pause from the annual Toto Awards across all categories.
The ways artists create, work, learn and connect are constantly evolving. We’re using this year to consider how TFA can respond to these changes and continue to make a difference to the artists we support.
While there will be no awards this year, we look forward to sharing more as we continue this process. Stay connected with TFA for updates.
Past Winners
Ifaam Bashir & Bhumika Sanjeev (2026)
Jayant Kashyap & Pranava VS (2025)
Zainab Ummer Farook, Faiz Ahmad (2024)
Moachiba Jamir, Aparna Chivukula (2023)
Aswin Vijayan, Uday Kanungo (2022)
Kunjana Parashar, Amulya B (2021)
Riddhi Dastidar, Noor Niamat Singh (2020)
Swati Simha, Shreya Ila Anasuya (2019)
Maya Palit, Urvashi Bahuguna (2018)
Arvind Jayan, Sohini Basak (2017)
Tushar Jain, Danish Shaikh (2016)
Mohit Parikh, Kaushik Viswanath (2015)
Rohan Chhetri, Mihir Vatsa (2014)
Swetanshu Bora, Aditi Rao (2013)
Ramneek Singh, Joshua Muyiwa (2012)
Deepika Arwind, Ishita Basu Mallik (2011)
Abhishek Majumdar, Ram Ganesh Kamatham (2010)
Aditi Machado, Neel Chaudhuri (2009)
Anindita Sengupta, Arka Mukhopadhyay (2008)
Monica Mody, Sneha Rajaram (2007)
Nisha Susan, Shakti Bhatt, SS Prasad (2006)