Bank Al Falah Nigaah Art Awards: celebrating excellence, vision, and creative legacy

KARACHI: The Bank Al Falah Nigaah Art Awards 2026, held on Saturday at the historic Mohatta Palace, brought together leading figures from Pakistan’s art and cultural community to honour artistic excellence and outstanding contributions to contemporary visual discourse.

The winners of the Nigaah Art Awards 2026 were announced in the event, recognizing excellence across a wide range of artistic disciplines and celebrating both established and emerging voices from Pakistan’s art scene.

As per announcements of the winners, Rabeya Jalil won the award in the Abstract category, while, in Portraiture, the jury selected Ishtiaq Sandhu. Musawir Shabbir received the award for Printmaking and Ahsan Jamal was named winner in the Miniature category.

Ali Baba won the award for 3D Sculpture, Zaheer Chaudhry was honoured in Photography and the Drawing category award went to Jamil Baloch.

Kiran Waseem was named emerging artist of the year, while Saulat Ajmal received the curator award. Art critic award was presented to Sadia Pasha Kamran.

Other category winners included Babar Moghal for Still Life, Masood A Khan for Landscape, Faizan Riedinger for Calligraphy, and Mobina Zuberi in the Figurative category.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred upon Nasreen Askari, in recognition of her invaluable contributions to promoting art and her enduring impact on the preservation and understanding of Pakistan’s artistic heritage.

The evening unfolded as a celebration of creativity and culture, featuring evocative folk music performances, and a curated auction of artworks to support student scholarships, all of which enriched the atmosphere with artistic dialogue and cultural resonance.

The awards were adjudicated by an esteemed jury comprising R M Naeem, Dr Arjumand Faisel, Dr Rahat Naveed Masud, Noorjehan Bilgrami, and Tauqeer Muhajir.

The awards were presented by Javed Jabbar, Ahmad Shah, Jahangir Siddiqui, Shahab Zuberi, Deepak Parwani, Uzra Dawood and Asma Ibrahim. The 2026 awardees embody the diversity, depth, and vitality of Pakistani art, offering inspiration for future generations to challenge conventions and articulate their stories through creative expression.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026