Chilliwack novelist Harkirat Kaur Chahal made history by being the first female author to win a Dhahan Prize for her novel Aadham Gehan. She won $10,000 for her work.

“This novel is a gripping account of human longing for intimacy, belonging and acceptance by those who are marginalized and oppressed due to their ambiguous gender identification,” says Barj S. Dhahan.

The winner of the Dhahan Prize in Punjabi Literature is Zanani Paud (Female Flower), short stories by Kesra Ram (Sirsa, Haryana, India), who won $25,000.

Finalist for Shahmukhi Script won $10,000 for Panni Di Kandh (Wall of Water), short stories by Zubair Ahmad (Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan).

The Dhahan Prize is the largest literary award featuring Punjabi literature. Punjabi is now the third most spoken language in Canada. The prize has been established by the Canada India Education Society in partnership with the Department of Asian Studies in the Faculty of Arts at the University of British Columbia, and is funded by Barj and Rita Dhahan, and family and friends.

Due to the Covid-19, the Dhahan Youth Award creative writing contest was cancelled for this year. However, the contest will return in 2021.