Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi
Udupi, Aug 13: The Yakshagana Academy has announced the 2026 awards, with renowned Tenkutittu and Badagutittu Yakshagana artiste M K Ramesh Acharya selected for the prestigious Parthisubba Award.
The Honorary Awards have been conferred on Jappu Dayananda Shetty, a Tenkutittu artiste; Siribagilu Ramakrishnamayya, a Tenkutittu Bhagavatha; Padmanabha Upadhyaya, a Tenkutittu maddale artiste; Mahabala Devadiga, a Badagutittu artiste; and Dodd Mallayya, a Moodalapaya Yakshagana Bhagavatha.
The Yakshashree Awards have been announced for Vedamurthy Raghavendra Asranna, Tenkutittu; Poornima Yathish Rai, Tenkutittu costume artiste; Durgaparameshwari Kukkila, Tenkutittu Bhagavatha; Ujire Narayana Poojari, Tenkutittu comedian; and Vidwan Lakshmi Narayana Upadhya, Tenkutittu chende artiste.
The other Yakshashree awardees are Heriya Naik Mogebettu, Badagutittu artiste; Ramgowda Gunavante, Badabadagu artiste; Padre Kumar, senior Tenkutittu artiste; Suresh Kuppepadavu, Tenkutittu colourful costume artiste; and Shivayya, Moodalapaya Yakshagana artiste.
Under the 2026 Endowment Awards, Bhimanna, a Moodalapaya Yakshagana artiste, has been selected for the Late Karki Hiriyaparamayya Hasyaagara Endowment Award.
Prof M N Venkatesh, a researcher from Andhra Pradesh, has been selected for the Dr Tallur Shivaram Shetty Family Trust Endowment Award.