ITANAGAR, 20 May: The Arunachal Pradesh Literary Society (APLS) has conferred the Luminous Lummer Dai Literary Award 2026 on Tony Koyu in recognition of his outstanding contribution to literature and language development in Arunachal Pradesh.

The award will be presented to him during the 87th birth anniversary celebration of Lummer Dai, the doyen of Arunachal literature, on 1 June, the APLS said in a release.

The award carries a specially designed memento created by renowned Assamese sculptor Biren Sinha, a citation, a packet of books, and a cash prize of Rs. 50,000.

The prestigious literary award, the only state-level literary award of Arunachal Pradesh, has been selected by the APLS president, the release said.

Koyu is the inventor of Tani lipi, the first indigenous script developed for the Tani tribes of Arunachal Pradesh.

Using the Tani script, he has authored novels, poems, short stories, and articles in the Galo language, besides writing in Hindi and English.

He is also the recipient of several honours, including the Bharat Jyoti Award, Sanskar Bharati Award, Penguin Publication Award, and many more.

As a founding vice president of the APLS, Koyu contributed immensely to the growth and development of the organisation during its formative years.