[1] The 19th Meril Prothom Alo Awards ceremony was held on 20 April 2017 at Bangabandhu International Conference Center.

The awards ceremony was organised and held by Bangladesh's largest newspaper Daily Prothom Alo and Square Toiletries Limited.

Meril Prothom Alo Awards is divided into two different nomination processes, the Viewers Choice Awards nominations are made based on votes received from audiences and viewers while the jury nominations are selected by the board members (consist of veteran Bangladeshi directors, actors, actresses and producers, and other film personalities).

The awards have come under criticism from various sections of the society for being held during a time of national crisis.

Ignoring public outcry on social networks, the organizers went ahead with the ceremony which was held at the Bangabandhu International Convention Centre in Dhaka on 26 April 2013, as the entire country mourned the demise of more than 1136 people in the collapse of a building at Savar.