Awards, Honours & Persons in News Current Affairs MCQs

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In November 2025, David Szalay won the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel “Flesh”, becoming the first Hungarian-British author to win the award. The Booker Prize is the world’s leading literary award for a single work of fiction. It was founded in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1969. Initially limited to Commonwealth writers, it is now open to authors worldwide. It honors the best English-language novel published in the UK or Ireland. The novel must be original, not a translation, and published by a registered UK or Irish imprint. The winner receives £50,000, while shortlisted authors get £2,500 each.

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Kovalam beach in Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu, received the International Blue Flag certification for the fifth consecutive year in 2025-26. The certification is awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), Denmark, and promotes sustainable tourism and responsible coastal management. Blue Flag recognition is based on 33 criteria, including water quality, environmental education, safety, waste management, cleanliness, and eco-friendly infrastructure. Kovalam beach first received the certification on September 21, 2021, becoming Tamil Nadu’s first Blue Flag beach.

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The 6th National Water Awards 2024 highlighted India’s push for better water management in the recent context of rising water challenges. Maharashtra ranked 1st in the Best State category, followed by Gujarat and Haryana. The National Water Awards are given by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The awards aim to create awareness about the importance of water and promote best water-use practices. They are presented in 10 categories, including Best State, Best District, Best Village Panchayat, Best Urban Local Body, Best School or College, Best Industry, Best Water User Association, Best Institution, Best Civil Society and Best Individual.

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Dr. Tessy Thomas, called the Missile Woman of India, received the 8th Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios Award 2025 for excellence in science and women empowerment. She is a senior scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). She was the first Indian woman to lead a missile project and headed Agni-IV and Agni-V ballistic missile programmes. She is also known as “Agniputri”, meaning one born of fire. The award is given by the Sophia Society of the Malankara Orthodox Church in memory of Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios.

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Anant Ambani, founder of Vantara, received the Global Humanitarian Award in the United States for his outstanding contributions to wildlife conservation and animal welfare. He was honoured for his leadership in the rescue, treatment, rehabilitation, and conservation of animals through the Vantara initiative. Anant Ambani is the youngest and the first Asian to ever receive this prestigious award. The award has brought global recognition to Vantara, which is considered one of the world’s largest and most unique wildlife conservation projects.

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UN Environment Programme (UNEP) awarded IAS officer Supriya Sahu the 2025 UN Champions of the Earth award in the Inspiration and Action category. She was honoured for her long-standing leadership in plastic reduction, wildlife conservation, and especially sustainable cooling. Her key initiative, Tamil Nadu’s Cool Roof Project, lowered indoor temperatures by 5–8°C using high Solar Reflective Index paint, offering a low-cost cooling solution. UNEP called it a game changer for cities facing extreme heat, showing scalable climate action.

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Major Swathi Shantha Kumar, an Indian Army officer from Bengaluru, received the UN Secretary-General’s Award 2025 for gender-inclusive peacekeeping. She is currently serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Her project, “Equal Partners, Lasting Peace,” strengthens UNMISS’s gender-inclusive approach. The award recognises initiatives promoting gender parity and gender-responsive peacekeeping. Her project was selected from UN-wide nominations and won the Gender Category with the highest votes globally.

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Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was conferred the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award, by President Droupadi Murmu during the 77th Republic Day celebrations at Kartavya Path. Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair will be awarded the Kirti Chakra. Shubhanshu Shukla travelled to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2025 as part of the Axiom-4 mission, becoming the second Indian in space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma. The award recognises his exceptional courage, leadership, presence of mind and swift decision-making under demanding space mission conditions.

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Uttar Pradesh won the national award for Most Proactive State under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)–UDAN in the Non-Priority Area category. The award recognises states that are neither hill states nor in the North-East, highlighting UP’s aviation expansion under CM Yogi Adityanath. Air passenger numbers grew from 59.97 lakh in 2016 to 1.28 crore in 2024 and 1.55 crore in 2025. Air cargo volume increased from 5,895 metric tonnes in 2016 to 29,761 metric tonnes in 2025, a CAGR of 17.58% over nine years.

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Ayesha Karim, Class Four student of Sarala Birla Gyan Jyoti, Guwahati, Assam, won Veergatha 5.0 Super 100 national competition. She created a powerful sketch of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Ashok Chakra awardee, during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Her artwork highlighted the courage and sacrifice of the Indian Army officer. She is the only student from Assam in five years to win this honour. Veergatha Project is a Government of India initiative to inspire students to honour armed forces bravery. It promotes patriotism through essays, poems, and paintings on gallantry awardees.