The Sangeet Natak Akademi is India's national academy for music, dance, drama, and promote the vast cultural heritage of India. It is the first National Academy of the arts set-up by the Republic of India.
The General Council also selected 44 artists and overall contribution/scholarship in the performing arts for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the year 2018. The 44 artistes include three joint awards. The Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards will be conferred by the President at a special investiture ceremony.
The article Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2019 explains about the List of Awards Winners, Different Categories of different roles, and Prize Money to the Winners.

Sangeet Natak Akademi was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31[latex]^{st}[/latex] May 1952 and became functional the following year, with the appointment of its first chairman, Dr. P. V. Rajamannar. Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, inaugurated it on 28[latex]^{th}[/latex] January 1953 in a special function held in the Parliament House. These functions are set down in the Akademi's Memorandum of Association, adopted at its registration as a society on 11[latex]^{th}[/latex] September 1961. The academy's Fellowship and Award are considered very prestigious. And also carries purse money of Rs. 3,00,000/- and Rs. 1,00,000/- respectively besides a shawl and Tamrapatra..

The Akademi Awards includes different types of Categories. They are:

1. Music 2. Dance 3. Theatre 4. Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/Theatre and Puppetry