The Dhahan Prize is celebrating its thirteenth year!

Join us for:

A sit-down, buffet-style dinner gala
Keynote address by poet Harman Kaur
A musical performance
The awarding of a $25K CAD prize for a winning Punjabi book, two finalist prizes of $10K CAD each, plus $6K CAD for the transliteration of winning books
The awarding of 8 youth awards
A meet and greet with this year's winning authors, along with business and community members
The proclaiming of Punjabi Literature week by local governments
The chance to buy signed copies of winning books, local students' Punjabi stories and more.

Attire: formal businesswear. Formal cultural attire is ok! (e.g. Punjabi suits)

About this event:

The 2026 Dhahan Prize Ceremonies will honour three works of Punjabi fiction in both Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi scripts. One main winner is awarded $25,000 CAD and two finalists are awarded $10,000 CAD each. An additional $6,000 CAD is awarded for the transliteration of winning books into Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi.

220 attendees are expected.

2025 - 2026 Sponsors:

Royal Bank of Canada Foundation (Presenting Sponsor)

RBC, Dominion Securities – Harj & Darshan Grewal

G.L. Smith Planning and Design Inc.

Canada-India Education Society

2025 - 2026 Youth Award Sponsors:

Coast Capital Savings

Tim Hortons

Canada-India Education Society

Media partner:

OMNI TV

Date: November 18, 2026

Time: 6 p.m. - 9:15 p.m.

Place: Northview Golf & Country Club, 6857 168 Street Surrey, BC V3S 3T6

Find on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/AkYsjLEdVYhahMWM6

Contact the host of The 2026 Dhahan Prize Ceremonies