Bangladesh’s legendary band musician Ayub Bachchu and acclaimed actress Farida Akhter Bobita are among ten individuals selected to receive the Ekushey Padak for 2026. The announcement was made by Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam during a briefing at the Foreign Service Academy auditorium in Dhaka on Thursday. The honorees include Bobita for film, Professor Dr. Mohammad Abdus Sattar for fine arts, Marina Tabassum for architecture, Ayub Bachchu for music, Warfaze for band music, Islam Uddin Palakar for theatre, Shafik Rehman for journalism, Professor Mahbubul Alam Majumdar for education, Tejas Halder Jos for sculpture, and Orthy Ahmed for dance.

Earlier, the government invited nominations for the 2026 Ekushey Padak at the end of July last year, with submissions due by October 30. According to an information department release, nominations were sought from ministries, public universities, district administrators, and previous recipients of national honors.

The government reaffirmed its policy to recognize individuals, groups, and institutions—living or deceased—for outstanding contributions in fields such as language movement, arts, journalism, education, science, and social service through the annual Ekushey Padak awards.