Instituted in 1992, the award recognizes individuals for their "outstanding contributions to Malayalam cinema".
[1][2] Recipients are selected by a jury appointed by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy and the Department of Cultural Affairs.
[4] The Government of Kerala created the award to commemorate the contribution of Indian filmmaker J. C. Daniel, who is often regarded as the "father of Malayalam cinema".
[7] In 2003, the prize money was doubled and, as part of a technical correction to update it, no award was presented that year.
The 2011 recipient, actor Jose Prakash, died before the award ceremony.