Top Award/Prize winners in 2015 - The year that is gone by

Hi Aspirants.. It’s time to say goodbye to 2015. A new year is coming our way with lot’s of hope and freshness. At the outset Currentaffairs4examz wishes all our dear followers a great 2016 ahead.

Let’s have a look at the important Award/Prize winners of 2015. This will be very useful for upcoming competitive exams in 2016.

Nobel Prize Winners 2015

1) Nobel Peace Prize - Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet

2) Literature - Svetlana Alexievich

3) Physics - Arthur B. McDonald & Takaaki Kajita

4) Chemistry - Paul L. Modrich, Tomas Lindahl and Aziz Sancar

5) Physiology or Medicine - William C. Campbell, Satoshi Omura & Tu Youyou

6) Economic Sciences - Angus Deaton

Man Booker Prize

1) Marlon James - For his book "A Brief History of Seven Killings"

Oscar Award 2015

1) Best Picture: Birdman

2) Best Actor : Eddie Redmayne for the film "The Theory of Everything"

3) Best Actress: Julianne Moore for the film "Still Alice"

4) Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for the film "Birdman".

National Film Awards 2015

1) Best Actor - Vijay (Nanu Avanalla Avalu -Kannada Film)

2) Best Actress - Kangana Ranaut (Queen - Hindi Film)

3) Best Feature Film - Court (Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati & English)

4) Best Popular Film providing wholesome entertainment - Mary Kom (Hindi)

5) Best Direction - Srijit Mukherji (Chotushkone - Bengali Film)

Padma Award 2015

1) Padma Vibhushan - L. K. Advani, Amitabh Bachchan, Prakash Singh Badal, D. Veerendra Heggade, Mohammad Yusuf Khan alias Dilip Kumar, Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya, Malur Ramaswamy Srinivasan, Kottayan K. Venugopal, Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan (Foreigner).

Jnanpith Award 2015

1) Winner - Raghuveer Chaudhari ( Gujarati writer)

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2015

1) Winner - Sania Mirza (Tennis)

Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2015

1) Winner - Shashi Kapoor

Please comment if you want more to add…

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Gujarati writer Raghuveer Chaudhary chosen for Jnanpith Award 2015

* Eminent Gujarati novelist, poet and critic Raghuveer Chaudhary has been selected for the 51st Jnanpith award 2015 for his contribution to Indian literature.

* “The Jnanpith selection Board has announced the recipient of the 51st Jnanpith Award today in a meeting. Eminent Gujarati litterateur Shri Raghuveer Chaudhary,” an official statement said on 29 December 2015.

* His nomination was decided at a meeting of the Jnanpith selection board chaired by writer and scholar Namwar Singh. 

* A novelist, poet and critic, Chaudhary is a recipient of Sahitya Academi Award for his novel, "Trilogy Uparvaas" in 1977. His popular novels include "Amrita", "Venu Vatsala", "Purvarang", "Laagni Samjyaa Vinaa Chuuta Padvanu" and others. While his most-known novel "Amrita" (1965) explores the concept of existentialism, other works like "Rudramahalaya" (1978) and "Somtirth" (1996) are historical fiction.

* Instituted in 1961, the award by Bharatiya Jnanpith recognises Indian literatteurs who write in one of the 22 Indian languages listed in Schedule Eight of the Indian Constitution.

* A Gandhian, Chaudhary, 76, has also worked as a columnist for many newspapers, such as Sandesh, Janmabhumi, Nirikshaka and Divya Bhaskar. He served as a teacher at the Gujarat University until his retirement in 1998. He has authored more than 80 books and received numerous literary awards for his significant contributions in Gujarati. He has also served many literary organizations.

* The Jnanpith selection board comprised of eminent writer and critic Prof Namwar Singh, Prof Shamim Hanfi, Harish Trivedi, Prof Suranjan Das, Ramakant Rath, Chandrakant Patil, Prof. Alok Rai, Dinesh Misra and Leeladhar Mandloi.

* Last year the Jnanpith award was given to Marathi writer Bhalchandra Vanaji Nemade, renowned for his books his books “Hindu” and “Kosala.”

* The recipients of the award are given a cash prize, a citation plaque and a bronze replica of Goddess Saraswati.

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Jamaican novelist Marlon James won Man Booker Prize 2015

* Jamaican author Marlon James on 14 October 2015 won the Man Booker Prize for "A Brief History of Seven Killings", a re-telling of the attempted assassination of musician Bob Marley.

* James, 44, is the first Jamaican to win the award in its 47-year history.

* One of the world's most prestigious literary awards, Man Booker Prize carries a £50,000 (67,000 euro, $77,000) prize and winners enjoy a boost in sales and a global readership. 

* "A Brief History of Seven Killings" was chosen unanimously by the judges after less than two hours of deliberation.

* It beat bookmaker's favourite, US author Hanya Yanagihara's "A Little Life", a disturbing tale of male friendship with graphic details of child sex abuse, which had been the 6/4 favourite to win.

* Also shortlisted were Briton Sunjeev Sahota's "The Year of the Runaways", "The Fishermen" by Nigeria's Chigozie Obioma, American author Anne Tyler's "A Spool of Blue Thread" and British writer Tom McCarthy's "Satin Island".

* The Man Booker Prize was previously open only to fiction written in English by authors from Britain, Ireland, the Commonwealth and Zimbabwe but this is the second year it has been open to all nationalities.

* Last year's winner, Australian Richard Flanagan, has sold 800,000 copies of his "The Narrow Road To The Deep North" to date.

Also check Nobel Prize 2015 winners

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Nobel Prize in Economics 2015

The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2015 was awarded to Angus Deaton "for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare".

Here are the details:

* British economist Angus Deaton won the 2015 economics Nobel Prize for "his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. 

* "To design economic policy that promotes welfare and reduces poverty, we must first understand individual consumption choices," the award-giving body said on announcing the 8 million Swedish crown ($978,000) prize. "More than anyone else, Angus Deaton has enhanced this understanding."

* The economics prize, officially called the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, was established in 1968.

* It was not part of the original group of awards set out in dynamite tycoon Nobel's 1895 will.

Also Check Nobel Prize winners of previous year from here.

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Nobel Prize in Literature 2015

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2015 was awarded to Svetlana Alexievich "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time".

Here are the details:

* Belarussian author Svetlana Alexievich has won the Nobel Prize for Literature for her portrayal of life in the former Soviet Union which the Swedish Academy said was "a monument to suffering and courage in our time." 

* Alexievich's work includes a series of books called the "Voices of Utopia" about individuals in the former Soviet Union as well as works on the consequences of the 1986 nuclear disaster in Chernobyl and the Russian war in Afghanistan.

* Alexievich, born in 1948 in Ukraine, worked as a teacher and a journalist after finishing school.

Also Check Nobel Prize winners of previous year from here.

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Nobel Peace Prize 2015

The Nobel Peace Prize 2015 was awarded to National Dialogue Quartet "for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011".

Here are the details:

* The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2015 is to be awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011. The Quartet was formed in the summer of 2013 when the democratization process was in danger of collapsing as a result of political assassinations and widespread social unrest. It established an alternative, peaceful political process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war. It was thus instrumental in enabling Tunisia, in the space of a few years, to establish a constitutional system of government guaranteeing fundamental rights for the entire population, irrespective of gender, political conviction or religious belief.

* The National Dialogue Quartet has comprised four key organizations in Tunisian civil society: the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT, Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail), the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA, Union Tunisienne de l'Industrie, du Commerce et de l'Artisanat), the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH, La Ligue Tunisienne pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme), and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers (Ordre National des Avocats de Tunisie).
Also Check Nobel Prize winners of previous year from here.

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Nobel Prize in Physics 2015

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2015 to

Takaaki Kajita

Super-Kamiokande Collaboration

University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan

and

Arthur B. McDonald

Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Collaboration

Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada

“for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass”

Check more details:

* The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the two researchers had made key contributions to experiments showing that neutrinos change identities.

* Neutrinos are particles that whiz through the universe at nearly the speed of light. They are created in nuclear reactions, such as in the sun and the stars, or in nuclear power plants.

* The winners will split the 8 million Swedish kronor (about $960,000) prize money. Each winner also gets a diploma and a gold medal at the prize ceremony on Dec. 10.

Also Check Nobel Prize winners of previous year from here.

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Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award

the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

with one half jointly to

William C. Campbell and Satoshi Omura

for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites

and the other half to

Youyou Tu

for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria.  

Here are the details:

* The Nobel judges in Stockholm awarded the prestigious prize to Irish-born William Campbell, Satoshi Omura and of Japan and Tu Youyou, the first ever Chinese medicine laureate.

* Campbell and Omura were cited for discovering a drug that has helped lower the incidence of river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, two diseases caused by parasitic worms.

* Tu discovered a drug that has helped significantly reduce the mortality rates of malaria patients.

* Campbell is a research fellow emeritus at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Omura, 80, is a professor emeritus at Kitasato University in Japan and is from the central prefecture of Yamanashi. Tu is chief professor at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

* The winners will share the 8 million Swedish kronor (about $960,000) prize money with one half going to Campbell and Omura, and the other to Tu. Each winner will also get a diploma and a gold medal at the annual award ceremony on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of prize founder Alfred Nobel.

* Last year's medicine award went to three scientists who discovered the brain's inner navigation system.

Also Check Nobel Prize winners of previous year from here.

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Arjuna Award Winners List 2015 with discipline - PDF Download

Friends..On the eve of the 69th Independenence on 15th August 2015, Union Government has announced the winners of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna Awards 2015. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2015 was awarded to Sania Mirza. Arjuna Award winners and their discipline will be surely an expected questions for all upcoming exams. Here are the details of Arjuna Award 2015.

* Arjuna Awards are given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. Instituted in 1961, the award carries a cash prize of Rs.500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll.

* Arjuna Award is given for consistently outstanding performance for four years preceding the year of award.   

* A large number of nominations were received for these awards this year, which were considered by the Selection Committee headed by Mr. Justice V.K. Bali, former Chief Justice of Kerla High Court and consisting of eminent sportspersons and sports administrators.

* Based on the recommendations of the Committee and after due scrutiny, the Government has approved to confer Arjuna Awards for  2015 upon the following sportspersons:

1. Naib Subedar Sandeep Kumar - Archery

2. Ms. M.R. Poovamma - Athletics

3. Mr. Kidambi Srikanth Nammalwar - Badminton

4. Mr. Mandeep Jangra - Boxing

5. Mr. Rohit Sharma - Cricket

6. Ms. Dipa Karmakar - Gymnastic

7. Mr. Sreejesh P.R. - Hockey

8. Mr. Manjeet Chhillar - Kabaddi

9. Ms. Abhilasha Shashikant Mhatre - Kabaddi

10. Mr. Sawarn Singh - Rowing

11. Mr. Anup Kumar Yama - Roller Skating

12. Mr. Jitu Rai - Shooting

13. Shri S. Sathish Kumar - Weightlifting

14. Mr. Bajrang - Wrestling

15. Ms. Babita Kumari - Wrestling

16. Ms. Yumnam Sanathoi Devi - Wushu

17. Mr. Sharath M. Gayakwad - Para-Swimming

* The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organized function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 29, 2015.

* Arjuna Awardees will receive statuettes, certificates and award money of Rs.5 lakh each.

Download Arjuna Awardees List 2015 PDF

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National Film Awards 2015: Complete List of Winners PDF

Download List as PDF- Click Here

* The 62nd National Film Awards 2014 were announced on 24 March 2015 by the Chairpersons of the three juries on Feature Films, Non Feature Films and Best Writing on Cinema.

* Kangana Ranaut won the best actress award for her powerful performance in "Queen" where Bollywood movies "Haider" and "Mary Kom" bagged key honours while Chaitanya Tamhane's "Court" was named the best feature film.

* Vijay was declared the best actor for his poignant portrayal of a woman trapped in a man's body in Kannada film "Nanu Avanalla Avalu" (I am not a he, but she).

* The Feature Film Central panel was headed by P. Bharathiraja a legend in Tamil cinema and National Film Award winner.

* The Central panel comprised of 11 members including Chairman, the Non Feature jury was headed by Kamal Swarup and comprised of 7 members including the Chairman.

* The jury on Best Writing on Cinema was headed by Govind Kumar (Madhan) and comprised of 3 members including Chairperson.

Here is the complete list of winners:

1. Best Feature Film - Court (Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati & English)

2. Indira Gandhi award for Best Debut Film of a Director - Asha Jaoar Majhe (Bengali)

3. Best Popular Film providing wholesome entertainment - Mary Kom (Hindi)

4. Best Film on Social Issues - Chotoder Chobi (Bengali)

5. Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation - Ottaal (Malayalam)

6. Best Children's Film - Kaakkaa Muttai (Tamil) & Elizabeth Ekadashi (Marathi)

7. Best Direction - Srijit Mukherji (Chotushkone - Bengali Film)

8. Best Actor - Vijay (Nanu Avanalla Avalu -Kannada Film)

9. Best Actress - Kangana Ranaut (Queen - Hindi Film)

10. Best Supporting Actor -  Bobby Simhaa (Jigarthanda -Tamil)

11. Best Supporting Actress - Baljinder Kaur (Pagdi The Honour - Haryanavi)

12. Best Child Artist - J. Vignesh & Ramesh (Kaakkaa Muttai - Tamil)

13. Best Male Playback Singer - Sukhwinder Singh (Song: Bismil) (Haider - Hindi)

14. Best Female Playback Singer - Uttara Unnikrishanan (Song: Azhagu) (Saivam - Tamil)

15. Best Cinematography - Sudeep Chatterjee (Chotushkone - Bengali)

16. Best Screenplay-

i. Screenplay Writer (Original): Srijit Mukherji (Chotushkone - Bengali)

ii. Screenplay Writer (Adapted) : Joshy Mangalath (Ottal - Malayalam)

iii. Dialogues : Vishal Bhardwaj (Haidar - Hindi)

17. Best Audiography:

i. Location Sound Recordist: Mahaveer Sabbanwal (Khwada - Marathi)

ii. Sound Designer: Anish John (Asha Jaoar Majhe - Bengali)

iii.  Re-recordist of the final mixed track: Anirban Sengupta & Dipankar Chaki (Nirbashito -Bengali)

18. Best Editing - Vivek Harshan (Jigarthanda -Tamil)

19. Best production Design - Aparna Raina (Nachom – IA Kumpasar - Konkani)

20. Best Costume Designer - Dolly Ahluwalia (Haider -Hindi)

21. Best Make-Up Artist - Nangaraju  & Raju (Nanu Avanalla Avalu -Kannada)

22. Best Music Direction -

a) Songs: Vishal Bhardwaj (Haider - Hindi)

b) Background Score:  Gopi Sunder (Nineteen Eighty Three - Malayalam)

23. Best Lyrics - NA. Muthukumar (Saivam -Tamil) (Azhagu)

24. Special Jury Award -

Director: Bhaurao Karhade (Khwada -Marathi)

25. Best Choreography - Sudesh Adhana (Haider -Hindi) (Bismil)

26. Best Feature Film in Each of the Language Specified in Schedule VIII of the Constitution-

* Best Assamese Film : Othello

* Best Bengali Film: Nirbashito

* Best Hindi Film: Queen

* Best Kannada Film: Harivu

* Best Malayalam Film: Ain

* Best Marathi Film: Killa

* Best Odiya Film: Aadim Vichar

* Best Punjabi Film: Punjab 1984

* Best Tamil Film: Kuttram Kadithal

* Best Telugu Film: Chandamama Kathalu

* Best Rabha Film: Orong

* Best Haryanvi Film: Pagdi The Honour

27. Best Feature Film in Language other than specified in VIII Constitution -

* Best Haryanvi Film: Pagdi The Honour

* Best Rabha Film: Orong

28. Special Mention

a) Musthafa: (Ain -Malayalam)

b) Palomi Ghosh: (Nachom – IA Kumpasar - Konkani)

c) Parth  Bhalerao (Killa -Marathi & Bhootnath Returns -Hindi)

29. Awards for Writing on Cinema

Best Film Critic: Tanul Thakur

Best Book On Cinema: Silent Cinema (1895-1930) by Pasupuleti Purnachandra Rao

Best Writing On Cinema (Special Mention): Pride Of Tamil Cinema by G. Dhananjayan

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Shashi Kapoor selected for Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2014

* Veteran actor Shashi Kapoor, who has reigned and contributed to the Hindi film industry for almost five decades, has been honoured with Dada Saheb Phalke award 2014, India's highest honour in cinema.

* He will be the 46th Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner.

* The 2014 Dadasaheb Phalke award to Shashi Kapoor made him the third member of Kapoor family to receive the award after Prithviraj Kapoor and Raj Kapoor.

* The Dadasaheb Phalke award is the highest award of India in cinema and is conferred by the Union Government for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema.

* The award was introduced in 1969 to commemorate the birth centenary year of Dadasaheb Phalke.

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Oscars 2015: Complete List of Winners PDF Download

Friends.. Honoring the best cinematic talent from Hollywood, the 87th Academy Awards or the Oscars have finally wrapped up. Presented in 24 different categories, the winners for the most coveted film awards have been announced, putting an end to the suspense. While The Grand Budapest Hotel and Birdman faced a tie bagging four awards each, Whiplash managed to pick three trophies. Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything and Julianne Moore for Still Alice have been named Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Role. Here are the complete list of winners. You can download this as PDF from below link. 

Download as PDF: Click Here

Best Picture: Birdman

Actress in a Leading Role: Julianne Moore, Still Alice

Actor in a Leading Role: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Directing: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman

Actress in a Supporting Role: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

Actor in a Supporting Role: JK Simmons, Whiplash

Foreign Language Film: Ida

Writing - Adapted Screenplay: Graham Moore, The Imitation Game

Writing - Original Screenplay: Alejandro G Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr & Armando Bo, Birdman

Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman

Music - Original Score: Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Makeup and Hairstyling: Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Costume Design: Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Music - Original Song: John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn for 'Glory' from Selma

Visual Effects: Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher, Interstellar

Documentary Short Subject: Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry, Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

Documentary Feature: Citizen Four

Film Editing: Tom Cross, Whiplash

Sound Editing: Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman, American Sniper

Sound Mixing: Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley, Whiplash

Production Design: Adam Stockhausen (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration), The Grand Budapest Hotel

Short Film - Live Action: The Phone Call

Short Film - Animated: Feast

Animated Feature Film: Big Hero 6l. 

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Marathi novelist Bhalchandra Nemade chosen for Jnanpith Award 2014

* Eminent Marathi litterateur Bhalachandra Nemade has been chosen for the 50th Jnanpith Award for 2014.

* The decision to confer the 50th Jnanpith award on 76-year-old Nemade was taken in a meeting of the 10-member selection board chaired by noted scholar, writer, and critic Prof Namwar Singh in New Delhi.

* Born in 1938, Namade occupies a unique place in Marathi literature.

* His hugely celebrated works — from "Kosala", 1963 to his recently-published magnum opus "Hindu" — have earned him a reputation as a self-aware, globally conscious and alert writer, said a statement issued by Bharatiya Jnanpith on 6 February 2015.

* He was honoured with Sahitya Akademi award in 1991 for his volume of criticism, Teeka Swayamvara, and Padma Shri in 2011.

* Nemade is the fourth Marathi writer to win the literary honour after VS Khandekar in 1974, VV Shirwadkar alias Kusumagraj in 1988, and Govind Karandikar alias Vinda Karandikar in 2003.

* He has novels like Hool, Bidar (1967), Zarila (1977) and Zhool (1979) and poetry volumes,Dekhni and Melody to his credit among other critical essays.

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