List of Sahitya Akademi Award winners for Tamil

Template:Infobox award The Sahitya Akademi Award is the second-highest literary honor in India. The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, aims at "promoting Indian literature throughout the world". The Akademi annually confers on writers of "the most outstanding books of literary merit". The awards are given for works published in any of the 24 languages recognised by the akademi. Instituted in 1954, the award recognizes and promotes excellence in writing and acknowledge new trends. The annual process of selecting awardees runs for the preceding twelve months. As of 2015, the award comprises a plaque and a cash prize of Template:INRConvert.

The inaugural edition of the award recognised works in twelve languages – Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. In Tamil, the first recipient of the award was R. P. Sethu Pillai, who was honored for his collection of essays entitled Tamil Inbam in 1955. Posthumous recipients of the award include Kalki Krishnamurthy (1956), Bharathidasan (1969), Ku. Alagirisami (1970), Aadhavan Sundaram (1987), C. S. Chellappa (2001), Melaanmai Ponnuchamy (2008). As of 2015, the award has been presented to 56 writers.

Rules and criteria for submissions

Although the Akademi is under the control of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, it functions as an autonomous body. To be eligible for the award, the work must be an "outstanding contribution to the language and literature to which it belongs". It can be a "creative" or a "critical" work; translations, anthologies, abridgments, compilations, annotation, and research papers are ineligible. To contest in a particular year, the work must have been published during the last five years, prior to the preceding year.Template:Efn In case of tiebreakers, the literary contribution and "standing" of the authors would be taken into consideration. Only Indian nationals are eligible for the award. The award will be not be given if there are no more than two contestants in the final round. The works of authors who have been awarded earlier by the Akademi – translation prize, Bal Sahitya Puraskar and Yuva Puraskar are exceptions though – are ineligible. Further, the author must not be a recipient of the Bhasha Samman or the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship. The works of members of the executive board of the Akademi are ineligible for the award. Incomplete works may be considered for the award only if a part of the work, under which it competes, is deemed "complete". A posthumous publication is eligible only if the author has been deceased for over five years starting from the current year. The Akademi does not consider direct submissions from authors or publishers.

Selection process

The Akademi will prepare a "ground list", shortlisted from a set of eligible books in each of the recognized languages. Each language will have an "Advisory Board" member, who will shortlist and form and send a panel consisting of not more than five members to the President of the Akademi.

The preliminary panel consists of ten referees, who are nominated by the President upon requests received from the members of the "Advisory Board". The recommendations received from members of the "Advisory Board" of each languages will be compiled and sent to the corresponding referees, who in turn will select two entries. A committee of three members, selected by the President, out of a panel of seven names recommended by the Language "Advisory Board", chooses the awardee in each language. The jury members are selected by the President after considering the recommendations in this behalf by the members of the Language Advisory Board concerned. The Akademi purchases the books recommended by the referees in the preliminary round and sends them to the jury members and the Convener. The jury members arrive at the winners, based on consensus or by majority. The jury also has the right to declare that no book is eligible for the award during a particular year b.

List of recipients

Key

Template:Dagger

Denotes posthumous recipients

List of recipients, year, and work

Year	Recipient	Work	Notes
1955	Template:Sortname	Tamil Inbam	A collection of essays
1956	Template:Sortname Template:Dagger	Alai Osai	A novel
1957	No award
1958	Template:Sortname	Chakravarti Tirumagan	A retelling of the Ramayana
1959	No award
1960	No award
1961	Template:Sortname	Agal Vilakku	A novel
1962	Template:Sortname	Akkarai Cheemaiyil Aarumathangal	A travelogue
1963	Template:Sortname	Vengaiyin Maindhan	A Historic novel
1964	No award
1965	Template:Sortname	Sri Ramanujar	A biography
1966	Template:Sortname	Vallalar Kanda Orumaippaadu	A biography
1967	Template:Sortname	Virar Ulagam	A Literary criticism
1968	Template:Sortname	Vellai Paravai	A poetry
1969	Template:Sortname Template:Dagger	Pisirantaiyar	A play
1970	Template:Sortname Template:Dagger	Anbalippu	A collection of short stories
1971	Template:Sortname	Samudaya Veedhi	A novel
1972	Template:Sortname	Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal	A novel
1973	Template:Sortname	Verukku Neer	A novel
1974	Template:Sortname	Thirukkural Needhi Illakkiyam	A literary criticism
1975	Template:Sortname	Tharkkala Tamizh Illakkiyam	A literary criticism
1976	No award
1977	Template:Sortname	Kuruthip Punal	Novel
1978	Template:Sortname	Pudukavithaiyin Thottramum Valarchiyum	Criticism
1979	Template:Sortname	Sakthi Vaithiyam	Short stories
1980	Template:Sortname	Cheraman Kadali	Novel
1981	Template:Sortname	Puthiya Urai Nadai	Criticism
1982	Template:Sortname	Manikkodikalam	Literary history
1983	Template:Sortname	Bharathi: Kalamum Karuthum	Literary criticism
1984	Template:Sortname	Oru Kaveriyai Pola	Novel
1985	Template:Sortname	Kamban: Putiya Parvai	Literary criticism
1986	Template:Sortname	Ilakkiyathukku oru Iyakkam	Literary criticism
1987	Template:Sortname Template:Dagger	Mudalil Iravu Varum	Short stories
1988	Template:Sortname	Vaazhum Valluvam	Literary criticism
1989	Template:Sortname	Chintanadi	Autobiographical Essays
1990	Template:Sortname	Veril Pazhutha Pala	Novel
1991	Template:Sortname	Gopallapurathu Makkal	Novel
1992	Template:Sortname	Kutralakurinji	historic novel
1993	Template:Sortname	Kathukal	Novel
1994	Template:Sortname	Pudhiya Dharsanangal	Novel
1995	Template:Sortname	Vanam Vasappadum	Novel
1996	Template:Sortname	Appavin Snehidar	Short stories
1997	Template:Sortname	Chaivu Narkali	Novel
1998	Template:Sortname	Visaranai Commission	Novel
1999	Template:Sortname	Aalapanai	Poetry
2000	Template:Sortname	Vimarsanangal Mathippuraikal Pettikal	Literary criticism
2001	Template:Sortname Template:Dagger	Sutanthira Daagam	Novel
2002	Template:Sortname	Oru Giraamattu Nadi	Poetry
2003	Template:Sortname	Kallikattu Ithikasam	Novel
2004	Template:Sortname	Vanakkam Valluva	Poetry
2005	Template:Sortname	Kalmaram	A novel
2006	Template:Sortname	Akayathukku Aduthaveedu	Poetry
2007	Template:Sortname	Ilai Uthir Kaalam	A novel
2008	Template:Sortname	Minsarapoo	Short story
2009	Template:Sortname	Kaioppam	Poetry
2010	Template:Sortname	Soodiya Poo Soodarka	A collection of short stories
2011	Template:Sortname	Kaval Kottam	A novel
2012	Template:Sortname	Thol	A novel
2013	Template:Sortname	korkai	A novel
2014	Template:Sortname	Agngnaadi	A novel
2015	Template:Sortname	Ilakkiya suvadugal	A collection of essays
2016	Template:Sortname	Oru Siru Isai	Short stories
2017	Inkulab	Kaandhal Naatkal	Poetry
2018	Template:Sortname	Sanjaaram	Novel
2019	Cho.Dharman	Sool	Novel
2020	Imaiyam	Sellaatha Panam	Novel