Punjab hosts first animation awards to honour creative excellence

The Indian state of Punjab hosted its first-ever animation awards, an event dedicated to recognising excellence in the AVGC-XR (animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and extended reality) industry.

Organised by TalentXpress, founded by Riya Arora and Rohit Arora, the  were held on 5 April 2025 in Ludhiana and drew over 3500 registrations, more than 500 nominees and over 80 award categories. The event was graced by Ashish Kulkarni, a pioneer in India’s AVGC ecosystem.

The highlights of the ceremony included Trailblazer Awards, which honoured over 30 industry stalwarts for their contributions in the digital and creative sectors. Notable winners included:

• Best video production company: Bideowale Framesingh – Mohit Middha and Puneet Singh Bedi
• Best stand-up star: Pritish Narula
• Best influencer family: Ramneek Singh Family (1313)
• Best DOP: Param Sambhi
• Best editor: Gobindpuriya
• Best rapper: Akshay Dhawan
• Best voiceover artist: Akshdeep Singh
• Best entrepreneur: Mohit Arora
• Best art influencer: Ekamjot Singh
• Best television channel: Pitara
• Best OTT platform: Chaupal
• Honour for Nanak-Noor-i-Ilahi: Vikas Prashar
• Most trending on Spotify: Vagish Makkar
• First 3D movie of Punjab: Baweja Studios
• Pride of Punjab: Taranjot Singh (finalist of Dance Deewane)

Digital influencers like Pritish Narula and the Ramneek Singh Family (1313) added vibrance to the event with their acts.