Banaras Hindu University held its first Academic Excellence Award Ceremony at Swatantra Bhavan, honouring 332 students who topped their programmes in the Even Semester examinations with a CGPA of 8.5 or above. Instituted from the 2025-26 academic session, the awards cover all disciplines at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and nearly 500 students will receive them every year. Of the awards presented, 173 went to undergraduates and 159 to postgraduates, with the Faculty of Arts having the most awardees (92), followed by the Faculty of Science (78) and the Faculty of Agriculture (30). The number of awards per programme depends on its strength: three for programmes with more than 100 students, two for those with 50 to 100, and one for those with fewer than 50. The hall was filled to capacity with students, faculty, deans, directors and officials, while non-awardee students watched from the first-floor balcony.
Presiding over the function, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi said the awards place academic achievement at the centre of the University’s calendar, and that merit deserves recognition while it can inspire the most.
Dean of Students Prof. Ranjan Kumar Singh expressed confidence that the awards would inspire even greater excellence, noting that the approximately 500 yearly awards will be distributed in two phases.
The awards were conferred by the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar Shri Rajan Srivastava, Prof. Ranjan Kumar Singh and Additional Controller of Examinations Prof. G.P. Singh. In his vote of thanks, Prof. G.P. Singh called the day a special and unforgettable moment in the University’s history of more than 100 years, and an important step towards strengthening its culture of excellence.
The programme featured the Mangalacharan by Prof. Patanjali Mishra, the Vande Mataram by Dr. Gyanesh Chandra Pandey, and the University Kulgeet by students of the Faculty of Performing Arts, with Prof. Padmini Ravindra Nath conducting the proceedings.
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