It is the highest literary honor conferred by the Department of Kannada and Culture, Government of Karnataka State, and recognises works written in the Kannada language (1 of the 22 official languages of India).
[2] The award originally comprised a cash prize of ₹1 lakh (US$1,200), a shawl, a citation and a memento.
The Pampa Prashasti is presented by the Chief Minister, during the Kadambotsava, a cultural festival held annually in Pampa's hometown of Banavasi in Uttara Kannada district.
In 2015, Chandrashekhar Patil returned his award as a sign of protest against the assassination of the scholar M. M.
[7] The most recent recipient is Na D'Souza, who was awarded in 2019 for his lifetime contribution.