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DHAKA, Feb 5, 2026 (BSS) – The government has announced the names of nine eminent citizens and one music band for awarding the prestigious Ekushey Padak-2026, the country's second highest civilian award, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to various fields.

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam disclosed the names of the recipients at a press briefing, saying that the names of the nominees were finalized at a meeting today with Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki in the chair. 

He was addressing the briefing at the Foreign Service Academy here this afternoon to share outcomes of the weekly meeting of the Council of Advisers at the Chief Adviser’s Office (CAO) in the morning. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus chaired the meeting.

The recipients of the Ekushey Padak 2026 are: Farida Akhtar Babita (Film), Professor Md Abdus Sattar (Fine Arts), Marina Tabassum (Architecture), Ayub Bachchu (Music), Arthy Ahmed (Dance), Islam Uddin Palakar (Theatre), Shafik Rehman (Journalism), Professor Dr Mahbubul Alam Majumdar (Education), Tejosh Haldar Josh (Sculpture) and Warfaze (Music Band).

With the nomination of the Warfaze for the award, a rock band has been considered for a national award for the first time in the country’s history. 

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs annually confers the award in different categories to honor individuals and institutions for their outstanding contributions to different fields.