The Dr. Sunil Kothari Award for Emerging Artist was initiated in the year 2021 to commemorate the life and contribution of Dr. Sunil Kothari as an Indian dance historian, scholar and critic. Now in its fifth year, the initiative has become an annual event. Dancers and choreographers based in India and under the age of 35 years, from various dance genres are nominated by their Gurus to participate.

The main objective of this award, besides celebrating Dr. Sunil Kothari's life, is to encourage young artists to pursue excellence and be open to the pulse of life and the world around them. The intent of this initiative is to also enable and support the younger generation of dancers/ choreographers from varying dance forms to get a platform to showcase their work to an international panel of judges. The award has been made possible by the generous contribution by our patrons Vijay Vishwanath & Gita Iyer.

This initiative is part of the Living Legacy Project initiated by Aditi Mangaldas, which aims to present, award, commission and facilitate dialogue, by inviting young exceptional artists. The emphasis is on a 'live legacy', where outstanding young artists will be encouraged to develop and find their own unique voice.