Auther Awards Winners

Women Auther Awards – Awards Night

The Shortlist

The Longlist

About the Awards

JK Paper and The Times of India joined hands in 2018 to bring to you, India’s most coveted Women AutHer Awards.

The awards celebrate the contributions of women authors who have, despite all the biases added value and creativity to this space. We wish to acknowledge and award such women authors so that more and more women take up writing and pen that first story and feel proud of their accomplishment.

Let us no longer hide behind pseudonyms and create the respectful space that women authors deserve.

Let’s celebrate the art of story-telling, encourage women authors to express their creativity and fondness for writing, and give them a platform to be recognised.

The last 4 editions have seen more than 5000 entries across 5 awards categories, and immersive multi–city book reading sessions (physical and virtual). With more than 70 eminent personalities being associated over the last four years’ awards journey, JK Paper and The Times of India proudly present Season 5 of AutHer Awards.

Awards Categories

Best Fiction

The AutHer Award for Best Fiction recognises and celebrates the best and most original writing in the form of the full length novel.

Best Non-Fiction

The AutHer Award for Best Non-Fiction recognises original full- length books of narrative non-fiction written by women. It includes writings with a social message, biographies, self-help, true crime, and books of history.

Best Children’s Author

The AutHer Award for Best Children’s Author recognises the most outstanding contribution to literature for children and youth.

Best Debut Author

The AutHer Award for Best Debut Author recognises the best first full-length novel or first original collection of short stories by an author.

Popular Choice

Popular choice recognizes the most loved story by avid readers. It invites the audience to vote for books by their favourite women author.

Best Manuscript

The Best Manuscript recognizes and encourages young budding female writers to get their work published.

Important Dates

Submissions Open:  27th Oct, 2023
Deadline:  15th December 2023
Evaluation:  Dec/Jan/Feb/Mar
Award’s Night:  17th March 2024

Jury Members

Introducing

Jaya Bhattacharji Rose

Literary Director

Host of TOI Bookmark, the Times of India’s marquee literary podcast; co-founder Ace Literary Consulting and Associate Professor, School of Modern Media Studies, UPES University. She is the founder of India’s most popular blog on the publishing industry and former Editorial Manager South Asia, Routledge (Taylor and Francis).

She has previously been Commissioning Editor and Marketing, Promotions, and Publicity Director, Zubaan (Kali for Women). She wrote the first book market report of India for Publishers Association UK. She has been a jury member for Crossword Book Awards, Scholastic Writing Awards, and mentored the Jaipur Lit Fest team of bloggers in 2019. She has also conceptualized the popular Scholastic Writers Academy programme.

Smita Mishra

Editorial Director

Smita Mishra is the Editor of Times of India Lifestyle, Times Food, and Times Travel. She is known for crafting in-depth and compelling features that blend storytelling with analysis. Her passion lies in exploring culinary arts, travel, style, relationships, health and literature through her writing. She leads TOI Books and oversees the editorial aspects of Times of India’s literary initiatives, such as Times Literature Festivals and AutHer Awards. Smita brings a wealth of expertise in the digital realm, stemming from her previous roles at Zee News, Dainik Jagran, and India Today. Her contributions have been pivotal in launching numerous online properties and making meaningful editorial enhancements.

Surabhi Rawat

Editorial Co-director

Surabhi Rawat is a lifestyle journalist currently working with Timesofindia.com. She has over 10 years of work experience and she has covered lifestyle, health, and entertainment beats. Currently, she covers Books, Soul Search, Arts, and Trending for The Times of India’s website and is also one of the core team members for AutHer Awards, Times Litfest, and TOI Write India.

Book Reading Sessions

About JK Paper

JK Paper’s legacy goes back to 1938 with setting up of Straw Products ltd. in Bhopal.
In the year 1962, Unit JKPM at Rayagada (Odhisa) was established. Today JK Paper is a leading Indian player in Office Papers, Coated Papers, Writing and Printing Papers and High-end Packaging Boards.

Today JK Paper has 3 integrated Pulp and Paper Mills viz; Unit JKPM at Rayagada (Odisha) near the Eastern coast of India and Unit CPM at Songadh (Gujarat) on the Western coast & Unit SPM at Kagaznagar, Telangana. With total installed capacity is 761,000 TPA, JK Paper is amongst the biggest Paper mills in the country.

From being the pioneer of branded Paper in India, the company today is a leading Sustainable Paper Product Solutions Provider.

About TOI

The Times of India is India’s most-read English newspaper. More than 17 million readers wake up to one of its 57 editions every morning. With a daily circulation of more than 4 million copies, it is the world’s largest-selling English newspaper. The Times of India’s website (www.timesofindia.com) ranks among the world’s most-visited news sites.

Published since 1838, the paper has shown no signs of aging and keeps reinventing itself to re`main in step with its young readership. Known as a trend-setter that adheres to the highest standards of journalism, The Times of India not only provides news coverage of unrivalled depth and breadth but also places equal, often greater, emphasis on perspective and context to empower the reader. Its coverage includes every topic and trend of interest to the reader – national, international, city, community, business, health, science, technology, sports, lifestyle and entertainment. Instead of taking the traditional role of newspapers to “mould public opinion”, The Times of India provides the choices that enable readers to arrive at their own conclusions.

The reader is the centre of its universe.

"To all the budding writers, doesn't matter whether you are a woman or a man, you should take your writing seriously. Because if you don't take it seriously, nobody else is going to take it seriously."

- Sutapa BasuAuthor of 'The Curse of Nader Shah'

"Write every day! Everybody has a book inside them. The ones that actually get it out are from the ones that actually sit down and start writing."

- Manjul BajajAuthor of 'In Search of Heer'

"Write the way you feel. If it doesn't move you, it will not move anybody else."

- Madhu GurungAuthor of 'Tibet with my Eyes Closed'

"Just keep writing and find your own voice. There's no point in mimicking other people and catering to a market. Be true to yourself.”

- Radhika Oberoiauthor of 'Stillborn Season'

"My advice to any author, whether writing on history or anything else, write about something you're passionate about. Don't write just for the sake of writing. If you're writing on history, there's only one thumb rule and that is Research, Research, and some more Research."

- Rana Safviauthor of Shahjahanabad: The Living City of Old Delhi