Doha: Sanskriti Qatar has announced Dr. Sukumar Canada as the recipient of the 13th C.V. Sreeraman Literary Award 2026 for his short story 'Manasiyude Novelukal' (Manasi's Novels).

The award carries a cash prize of ₹50,000 and a commemorative plaque honouring renowned Malayalam writer C.V. Sreeraman. The winner was announced at a press conference held in Doha.

Dr. Sukumar, an engineer and writer, has been living in Vancouver, Canada, since 1987. Originally from Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district, he served as a faculty member at the Calicut Regional Engineering College (REC) before moving to Canada.

He has authored several books and contributed articles, short stories, travelogues, illustrations and poems to leading publications, including Mathrubhumi Yathra, Mathrubhumi daily, Manorama daily, Kalakaumudi and Ezhuthu. He has also hosted programmes on Kairali and Amrita TV. In 2024, he received the FOKANA Award for Best Translation for his translation of the novel 'Draupadi'.

The award was decided by a jury chaired by renowned writer and novelist T.D. Ramakrishnan, a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi and Vayalar awards. Writer R. Rajasree, this year's Vayalar Award winner, and K.V. Mohankumar were the other members of the jury.

The jury observed that 'Manasiyude Novelukal' stood out for its thematic originality and excellence in language, narrative craft and character development.

A total of 91 short stories by Malayali writers living in Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, European countries and the Gulf region competed for this year's award. Qatar-based writers submitted 23 of the entries.

The award presentation ceremony and cultural gathering will be held on November 19 at the ICC Ashoka Hall. T.D. Ramakrishnan will present the award to the winner.

The announcement was made at the Sanskriti Qatar office in the presence of General Secretary Shamseer Areekulam, Central Committee member E. Sunil Kumar and Award Committee Convener Sreenath Sankarankutty.

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