Nine Individuals and Band Warfaze to Receive Ekushey Padak 2026

The government has decided to award the Ekushey Padak-2026 to nine individuals and one institution in recognition of their significant contributions in various fields.

This information was given through a press release sent by the Ministry of Culture's Programs Branch on Thursday (February 19). The ministry's Senior Assistant Secretary Azam Uddin Talukder signed the notification on February 15.

The nominees for the Ekushey Padak are - Farida Akhter Babita in acting, Professor Dr. Md. Abdus Sattar in fine arts, Marina Tabassum in architecture, Ayub Bachchu in music (posthumous), Arthi Ahmed in dance, Islam Uddin Palakar in singing, Shafiq Rehman in journalism, Professor Dr. Mahbubul Alam Majumder in education and Tejas Halder Jos in sculpture.

In addition, the press release also stated that the award is being given to Warfej in music.

The Ekushey Padak is a national and second highest civilian award in Bangladesh. The Ekushey Padak has been awarded since 1976 to recognize outstanding contributions at the national level to prominent language warriors, linguists, writers, artists, educators, researchers, journalists, economists, contributors to poverty alleviation, social figures and institutions of Bangladesh.