Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

What is the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar?

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) is the highest civilian honour for children conferred by the Government of India through the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar recognises children who have shown exceptional ability and outstanding achievement, and it carries a medal, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000 for each awardee.

The award is presented in six broad fields, Bravery, Art and Culture, Environment, Innovation (Science and Technology), Social Service, and Sports. It was earlier given as two separate awards (the National Bravery Award and the National Child Award) before being brought together and renamed. Awardees are honoured by the President of India at a ceremony in New Delhi, usually held in January in the run-up to Republic Day.

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar is an honour, not a welfare payment. It is meant to hold up individual children as examples to inspire others, so the number of awardees each year is small and each nomination is scrutinised by a committee.

Who is eligible for the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar?

A child can be nominated if:

• The child is an Indian citizen and a resident of India.
• The child is above 5 years and not more than 18 years of age as on 31 July of the award year.
• The act, incident or achievement being recognised took place within the two years before the last date for receiving applications for that year.
• The achievement fits one of the six categories, bravery, art and culture, environment, innovation, social service or sports.

A child is not eligible if:

• The child is under 5 or over 18 as on the cut-off date.
• The child is not an Indian citizen or not resident in India.
• The achievement is older than the two-year window or cannot be documented with credible evidence.

Because this is an award for outstanding achievement rather than a benefit paid on the basis of income or category, there is no income ceiling and no caste or gender restriction. The sole test is exceptional accomplishment supported by evidence.

What documents are required for a PMRBP nomination?

The exact list of supporting documents is set out in the annual award guidelines published on the National Awards Portal.

How to apply and nominate for the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

1. Open the National Awards Portal at awards.gov.in during the annual nomination window, which usually runs from around April to 31 July.
2. Register or log in, and select the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar from the list of awards.
3. Choose whether this is a self-nomination by the child or a recommendation by another person or institution.
4. Fill in the child's details, the category, and a description of the achievement, then upload the proof of age, evidence of the achievement and the photograph.
5. Submit the nomination before the closing date. Shortlisting is done by a screening committee and a national selection committee, and the final list is approved for conferment by the President.

There is no offline form and no fee; nominations are accepted only through the online portal.

What does a PMRBP awardee receive?

Each awardee of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar receives:

• A cash prize of Rs 1,00,000.
• A medal and a certificate, presented by the President of India.
• In recent years, book vouchers and a citation booklet, as notified in the year's guidelines.

Beyond the material award, being named a Bal Puraskar awardee carries national recognition — awardees have traditionally taken part in Republic Day events and are featured by the Ministry as role models for other children.

Who runs the award and how selection works

The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar is administered by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Nominations received on the National Awards Portal are first screened for eligibility, then examined by a screening committee and a higher National Selection Committee which recommends the final awardees. The committee weighs the evidence of the achievement, its impact and how exceptional it is for the child's age.

Because places are limited and competition is high, a strong nomination is one that documents the achievement clearly; dated evidence, third-party verification such as media coverage or official certificates, and a factual description rather than exaggerated claims.

Help and further information

Details of the current year's award, the exact opening and closing dates, the number of awards in each category and the year's enclosures: are published on the National Awards Portal at awards.gov.in and by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. There is no charge to nominate, and neither a child nor a recommender needs to pay any agent to file a nomination.