Dhahan Youth Award is sponsored by:
Surrey, B.C. (November 13, 2025) – Eight British Columbia youth were recently presented with the Dhahan Youth Award for writing stories in Punjabi and English. They also received framed certificates, $500 cheques and the publication of their work in an anthology called Lofty Heights.
The Lofty Heights anthology is published yearly in the two Punjabi scripts (Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi), as well as in English and French.
The winning youth received their awards during the 2025 Dhahan Prize ceremonies on November 13, 2025 at Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey, B.C., where adult authors were awarded $51,000 cumulatively, alongside the youth.
Parveen Brar, Broker Relations Manager at Coast Capital, gave a speech to introduce the award.
Awards were announced by Gurpreet Kaur Bains Department Head Languages and Punjabi teacher LA Matheson Secondary School. They were presented to the youth by Parveen Brar and Mr. Sunny Deol, Principal at L.A. Matheson Secondary School.
2025 Dhahan Youth Award Winners:
Not pictured: Simran Kaur Choongh (LA Matheson Secondary, Surrey), Jasmeen Rai (Princess Margaret Secondary, Surrey) and Ramneet Sidhu (Queen Elizabeth Secondary, Surrey)
‘Live Without Worry,’ by Mndeep Kaur Sandhu, Dasmesh Punjabi School, Abbotsford
‘ਪਰਵਾਹ ਨਾ ਕਰ,’ ਮਨਦੀਪ ਕੌਰ ਸੰਧੂ, ਦਸਮੇਸ਼ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਕੂਲ, ਐਬਟਸਫੋਰਡ
پرواہ نہ کر , مندیپ کور سندھو, دسمیش پنجابی سکول، ایبٹس فورڈ
‘Silent Burdens,’ by Inderdeep Kaur, Dasmesh Punjabi School, Abbotsford
‘ਬੋਝ,’ ਇੰਦਰਦੀਪ ਕੌਰ, ਦਸਮੇਸ਼ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਕੂਲ, ਐਬਟਸਫੋਰਡ
بوجھ, اندردیپ کور, دسمیش پنجابی سکول، ایبٹس فورڈ
‘A Girl’s Job,’ by Arshdeep Kaur Sidhu, LA Matheson Secondary, Surrey
‘ਕੁੜੀਆਂ ਦਾ ਕੰਮ,’ ਅਰਸ਼ਦੀਪ ਕੌਰ ਸਿੱਧੂ, ਐੱਲ ਏ ਮੈਥੇਸਨ ਸੈਕੰਡਰੀ, ਸਰੀ
کُڑیاں دا کم, ارشدیپ کور سدھو,ایل اے میتھسن سیکنڈری، سری
‘Freedom with Courage,’ by Navdeep Kaur Gill, L.A. Matheson Secondary School, Surrey
‘ਹਿੰਮਤ ਨਾਲ ਆਜ਼ਾਦੀ,’ ਨਵਦੀਪ ਕੌਰ ਗਿੱਲ, ਐੱਲ ਏ ਮੈਥੇਸਨ ਸੈਕੰਡਰੀ, ਸਰੀ
ہمت نال آزادی, نودیپ کور گل, ایل اے میتھسن سیکنڈری، سری
‘From the Same Soil,’ by Simran Kaur Choongh, L.A. Matheson Secondary School, Surrey
‘ਉਸੇ ਮਿੱਟੀ ਤੋਂ,’ ਸਿਮਰਨ ਕੌਰ ਚੂੰਘ, ਐੱਲ ਏ ਮੈਥੇਸਨ ਸੈਕੰਡਰੀ, ਸਰੀ
اُسے مٹی توں, سمرن کور چونگھ, ایل اے میتھسن سیکنڈری، سری
‘Burning Corpses,’ by Jasmeen Rai, Princess Margaret Secondary, Surrey
‘ਜਲਦੀਆਂ ਲੋਥਾਂ,’ ਜਸਮੀਨ ਰਾਏ, ਪ੍ਰਿੰਸੈੱਸ ਮਾਰਗ੍ਰਟ ਸੈਕੰਡਰੀ, ਸਰੀ
جلدیاں لوتھاں, جسمین رائے, پرنسیس مارگریٹ سیکنڈری، سری
‘Regret,’ by Jasmeet Kaur Bassi, Princess Margaret Secondary, Surrey
‘ਪਛਤਾਵਾ,’ ਜਸਮੀਤ ਕੌਰ ਬਾਸੀ, ਪ੍ਰਿੰਸੈੱਸ ਮਾਰਗ੍ਰਟ ਸੈਕੰਡਰੀ, ਸਰੀ
پچھتاوا, جسمیت کور باسی, پرنسیس مارگریٹ سیکنڈری، سری
‘A Mother Till Her Last Breath,’ by Ramneet Sidhu, Queen Elizabeth Secondary, Surrey
‘ਅਖੀਰੀ ਸਾਹ ਤੱਕ ਮਾਂ,’ ਰਮਨੀਤ ਸਿੱਧੂ, ਕੁਈਨ ਐਲਿਜ਼ਾਬੈੱਥ ਸੇਕੰਡਰੀ, ਸਰੀ
آخری ساہ تک ماں, رم نیت سدھو, کوئین الزبتھ سیکنڈری، سری
The Dhahan Youth Award was created in 2017 in partnership with B.C. secondary schools, in particular, L.A. Matheson Secondary of the Surrey School District. It is sponsored by Coast Capital.
To win, students are tasked with writing a short story in Punjabi, in either Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi script, and translating it into English, without any help. The award is open to grade 11 and 12 applicants from any school in British Columbia.
This year, awardees were recognized from Surrey’s L.A. Matheson Secondary, Princess Margaret Secondary, Queen Elizabeth Secondary, and Dasmesh Punjabi School in Abbotsford.
The goal of the initiative is to inspire young people to not only learn their mother tongue verbally, but to know how to read and write in it as well.
“The Dhahan Youth Award gives students a reason to engage with Punjabi literature and see their language as something living and relevant,” says Barj S. Dhahan, Founder of the Dhahan Prize. “It supports cultural continuity by encouraging youth to read, think, and respond creatively in a language they may not use often. It also recognizes that young Canadians can honour their heritage while also honouring Canada’s official languages of English and French.
“For young people who want to write stories, they should not think, “what is my level of Punjabi? Can I write or not?” They should just try as much as they can. In our school, students start learning Punjabi from the beginning phases. Slowly, they write sentences and then they write paragraphs. Eventually, they get to writing a full story,” explained Gurpreet Kaur Bains, L.A. Matheson Languages Department Head and Punjabi teacher in an Instagram Reel.
The Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature, geared to adult writers, awards $51,000 cumulatively to three authors yearly. It is the world’s richest literary prize among South Asia’s indigenous languages.
About The Dhahan Youth Award: https://dhahanprize.com/dhahan-prize-youth-award/
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