OALF 2026 will honour three emerging Odia poets with cash awards and launch Kalara Pruthivi 2026, an anthology celebrating contemporary Odia poetry
OdishaPlus Bureau
Three promising young Odia poets will be honoured at the 11th Odisha Art & Literature Festival (OALF 2026), with Art World announcing awards aimed at encouraging emerging literary voices and nurturing new talent in Odia poetry.
The festival will be held in Bhubaneswar from December 11 to 13, 2026. The first prize carries a cash award of ₹50,000, while the second- and third-prize winners will receive ₹30,000 and ₹20,000, respectively.
As part of the initiative, an anthology of poems by young Odia poets, titled Kalara Pruthivi 2026, will be published and launched during the festival. The poems included in the anthology will be evaluated by an independent panel of jurors, who will select the three award-winning poets.
According to Art World founder Pradosh Chandra Mohanty, the initiative is intended to encourage and recognise emerging Odia poets and contribute to the growth and promotion of contemporary Odia literature.
Kalara Pruthivi 2026 will be published by Dhauli Books. The anthology project is being coordinated by Manu Dash, founder-director of the Odisha Art & Literature Festival.
The initiative is expected to provide a platform for young poets to reach a wider readership and showcase the diversity and evolving voices of contemporary Odia poetry.