The procedure to pick Puraskar awardee for the annual Gaanasaraswati Puraskar is modeled after the rules adopted by the Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi. In brief, the selection process is the following:

  • Nomination for the Puraskar can be sent by the candidate, or by any other person on behalf of the candidate, according to the procedure described on the “Eligibility” page.
  • The Secretary of the Puraskar committee masks any reference to the name and contact details of the nominee.
  • The sanitized biodata and the accompanying recording of the nominee is sent to each member of the Puraskar committee for evaluation.
  • Puraskar committee members independently evaluate nominee’s biodata and the vocal presentation in the recording, and confidentially submit their evaluation of each nominee to the Secretary of the Puraskar committee.
  • The Secretary tabulates the evaluations given by each Committee member for each nominee, and informs the Chairman of the Committee about the winner of the Puraskar.
  • The remaining nominees (other than the Puraskar winner) are carried over for the next year’s evaluations unless the candidate exceeds the age limit (as mentioned on the “Eligibility” page) for that year.
  • If two or more nominees have the same evaluation from the Puraskar committee, preference for Puraskar is given to the oldest among them, and the others are carried over for evaluation for the next year.
  • Neither the candidate nor the candidate’s representative is allowed to contact any member of the Puraskar committee. If a candidate or candidate’s representative attempts to persuade or influence any Committee member, such candidate is disqualified from further consideration for selection.
  • Any questions are to be addressed only to the Secretary via email as mentioned on the “Eligibility” page.
  • The selection process is strictly based on the merit of the nominees, regardless of their Gharana, raag chosen, etc.