The AFCAT (Air Force Common Admission Test) 2025 exam is an important gateway for aspirants aiming to join the Indian Air Force as commissioned officers in flying, ground duty (technical), and ground duty (non-technical) branches. One of the key sections in the AFCAT General Knowledge syllabus includes questions on current events, including major national and international awards and honours. Understanding the significant awards and honours in 2024 is crucial for candidates to excel in this section.
AFCAT 1 2025 Exam – Awards and Honours 2024
Nobel Prizes 2024
The American biologists jointly received the prestigious award for their discovery of microRNA and its role in regulating gene expression after transcription. The Nobel Assembly said that their discovery is “proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function.” This year’s Nobel Prize was awarded to scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for discovering microRNA, a tiny molecule that plays a key role in regulating gene activity.
Even though all cells in our body have the same genes, different types of cells, like muscle and nerve cells, perform different functions. This is possible due to gene regulation, which allows cells to “switch on” only the genes they need. Ambros and Ruvkun’s discovery of microRNA revealed a new way this regulation happens.
Bharat Ratna Award 2024
The prestigious Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, is set to be conferred upon five eminent personalities who have made remarkable contributions to politics, governance, and agriculture. They are Karpoori Thakur, Mankombu Sambasivan (MS) Swaminathan, Pamulaparthi Venkata (P. V.) Narasimha Rao, Lal Krishna Advani, and Chaudhary Charan Singh.
70th National Film Awards
Feature Film Awards
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) | Cash Prize |
| Best Feature Film | Aattam | Malayalam | Production: Joy Movie Productions LLP Director: Anand Ekarshi | ₹300,000 each |
| Best Debut Film | Fouja | Haryanvi | Director: Pramod Kumar | ₹300,000 |
| Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Kantara | Kannada | Production: Hombale Films Director: Rishab Shetty | ₹300,000 each |
| Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social, and Environmental Values | Kutch Express | Gujarati | Production: Soul Sutra LLP Direction: Viral Shah | ₹200,000 each |
| Best Film in AVGC | Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva | Hindi | Production: Dharma Productions, Prime Focus, Starlight Pictures Director: Ayan Mukherji, VFX Supervisor: Jaykar Arudra, Viral Thakkar, Neelesh Gore | ₹300,000 each, ₹200,000 each |
| Best Direction | Uunchai | Hindi | Sooraj R. Barjatya | ₹300,000 |
| Best Actor | Kantara | Kannada | Rishab Shetty | ₹200,000 |
| Best Actress | Thiruchitrambalam / Kutch Express | Tamil / Gujarati | Nithya Menen / Manasi Parekh | ₹250,000 each |
| Best Supporting Actor | Fouja | Haryanvi | Pavan Malhotra | ₹200,000 |
| Best Supporting Actress | Uunchai | Hindi | Neena Gupta | ₹200,000 |
Language-Specific Feature Film Awards
| Award | Film | Language |
| Best Telugu Film | Karthikeya 2 | Telugu |
| Best Tamil Film | Ponniyin Selvan – Part 1 | Tamil |
| Best Punjabi Film | Baaghi Di Dhee | Punjabi |
| Best Odia Film | Daman | Odia |
| Best Malayalam Film | Saudi Velakka | Malayalam |
| Best Marathi Film | Vaalvi | Marathi |
| Best Kannada Film | KGF: Chapter 2 | Kannada |
| Best Hindi Film | Gulmohar | Hindi |
| Best Tiwa Film | Sikaisal | Tiwa |
| Best Bengali Film | Kaberi Antardhan | Bengali |
| Best Assamese Film | Emuthi Puthi | Assamese |
Special Mentions
| Award | Awardee(s) |
| Special Mentions | Manoj Bajpayee in Gulmohar, Sanjoy Salil Chowdhury for Kalikhan |
Technical Awards
| Award | Film | Awardee(s) |
| Best Action Direction | KGF: Chapter 2 | |
| Best Choreography | Tiruchitrabalam | |
| Best Lyrics | Fouja | |
| Best Music Director | Pritam (Songs), AR Rahman (Background Score) | |
| Best Makeup | Aparajito | |
| Best Costumes | Kutch Express | |
| Best Production Design | Aparajito | |
| Best Editing | Aattam | |
| Best Sound Design | Ponniyin Selvan – Part 1 | |
| Best Screenplay | Aattam | |
| Best Dialogues | Gulmohar | |
| Best Cinematography | Ponniyin Selvan – Part 1 | |
| Best Female Playback | Saudi Velakka | Bombay Jayashri |
| Best Male Playback | Brahmastra | Arijit Singh |
| Best Child Artist | Mallikappuram | Sreepath |
Non-Feature Film Awards
| Award | Film | Language | Awardee(s) |
| Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values | Kutch Express | Gujarati | |
| Best Critic | Deepak Dua | ||
| Best Book on Cinema | Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography | ||
| Best Non-Feature Film | Ayena | ||
| Best Debut Film | Madhyantara | ||
| Best Biographical/Historical/Compilation Film | Aanakhi Ek Mohenjo Daro | ||
| Best Arts/Culture Film | Ranga Vibhoga / Varsa | ||
| Best Script | Mono No Aware | ||
| Best Narrator | Murmurs of the Jungle | ||
| Best Music Direction | Fursat | ||
| Best Editing | Madhyantara | ||
| Best Sound Design | Yaan | ||
| Best Cinematography | Mono No Aware | ||
| Best Direction (Non-Feature Film) | From the Shadow | Miriam Chandy Menacherry | |
| Best Short Film | Xunyota | ||
| Best Animated Film | The Coconut Tree | ||
| Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values | On the Brink Season 2 – Gharial | ||
| Best Documentary | Murmurs of the Jungle |
