Helal Hafiz, Shahidul Zahir, women’s football team receive Ekushey Padak

Of the 15 recipients, six are receiving the award posthumously

The government has named 15 recipients of this year’s Ekushey Padak, the nation’s second-highest civilian award.

Among those awarded posthumously are poet Helal Hafiz, writer Shahidul Zahir, journalist Mahfuz Ullah, film director Azizur Rahman, musician Ustad Nirod Baran Barua, and Daily Purbokone founder Mohammad Yusuf Chowdhury.

The Bangladesh women’s football team have also been honoured for its contributions to sports.

This year’s list includes singer Ferdous Ara, writer Maidul Hasan, journalist Mahmudur Rahman, painter Rokeya Sultana, translator Niaz Zaman, Mehdi Hasan Khan, the founder of the Bengali-language keyboard software Avro, and photographers Nasir Ali Mamun and Shahidul Alam.

The announcement was made on Thursday at a press conference at the Secretariat by Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostofa Sarwar Farooki.

The Ekushey Padak has been awarded annually since 1976 to celebrate the contributions and achievements of notable individuals and organisations.