The Rainbow Awards are awards presented by Dwijen Dinanath Arts Foundation of India to recognize exemplary affirmative work about the lives of
sexual and gender minorities
Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) comprise individuals whose sexual identity, sexual orientation, sexual behavior, or gender identity differ from the majority of the surrounding society. Sexual minorities include lesbians, gay men, bisexual peo ...
in India.
The awards are exclusively for
Indians
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Associated with India
* of or related to India
** Indian people
** Indian diaspora
** Languages of India
** Indian English, a dialect of the English language
** Indian cuisine
Associated with indigenous peoples o ...
, encompassing the
Persons of Indian Origin
Overseas Indians (ISO 15919, ISO: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and People of Indian Origin (PIOs) are people of Indian descent who reside or originate outside of India (Including those that were directly under the British Raj). Acc ...
as well as
Overseas Citizens of India.
History
Sharif D Rangnekar, a former journalist, communications consultant and writer, founded Rainbow Awards. Recognizing the insufficient representation of sexual and gender minorities in mainstream awards, Rangnekar aimed to amplify their voices and ensure acknowledgment without confining them to rigid genres. Rangnekar emphasized the significance of ensuring the representation of diverse voices within sexual and gender minorities, particularly in India, given the varied cultural backgrounds and experiences of community members. Rangnekar stated that these as reason for establishment of Rainbow Awards.
Categories
As of 2023, the following categories are awarded.
Lifetime
* The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented for profound contributions to the queer literary world.
Literature
* The Fiction of the Year is presented for novels, graphic novels or collections of short stories authored by a single author.
* The Non-fiction of the Year is presented for memoirs, biographies, history or other non-fictional works.
Journalism
* The Feature of the Year is presented for
feature story
A feature story is a piece of non-fiction writing about news covering a single topic in detail. A feature story is a type of soft news, primarily focused on entertainment rather than a higher level of professionalism. The main subtypes are ...
published in digital or print media.
* The Op-Ed of the Year is presented for
op-ed
An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...
piece published in digital or print media.
Entry process
The awards are exclusively for
Indians
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Associated with India
* of or related to India
** Indian people
** Indian diaspora
** Languages of India
** Indian English, a dialect of the English language
** Indian cuisine
Associated with indigenous peoples o ...
, encompassing the
persons of Indian origin
Overseas Indians (ISO 15919, ISO: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and People of Indian Origin (PIOs) are people of Indian descent who reside or originate outside of India (Including those that were directly under the British Raj). Acc ...
as well as
overseas citizens of India.
In the literature category, publishers have the option to nominate a maximum of two entries per sub-category for consideration. For self-published books, authors can directly nominate up to one entry for consideration.
In the journalism category, both digital and print media organizations, along with digital platforms that prioritize views and opinions over news, are eligible to nominate a maximum of two entries. Likewise, freelance writers have the opportunity to nominate up to two entries for consideration.
Selection process
The jury members are chosen and announced before the commencement of the entry process. The jury excludes any patrons, advisors, partners, or employees of the Dwijen Dinanath Arts Foundation and its affiliate, Rainbow Lit Fest.
The juries evaluate the submissions and decide on the award winners. They invest approximately four months in reviewing the submissions, engaging in discussions among themselves to compile a long list. If a long list exists, it will be made public. The jury then proceeds with their assessments to create a shortlist, which is also released to the public. The jury further refines their evaluation to choose the winner, whose announcement takes place during the award ceremony.
Winners
Lifetime
Literature
Journalism
See also
*
List of LGBT-related awards
*
Felix-Rexhausen Award
*
GLAAD Media Award
The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...
References
{{LGBT in India
2023 establishments in India
2023 in LGBTQ history
Awards established in 2023
Indian literary awards
LGBTQ literary awards
LGBTQ literature in India
Indian journalism awards
Non-fiction literary awards
LGBTQ journalism awards