Prof. (Dr.) Gayatribala Panda is a distinguished Odia poet, fiction writer, literary critic, columnist, academician and editor. A prolific author of 35 books, she received the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 2022 for her poetry collection ‘Dayanadi’ (River Daya) and was the inaugural recipient of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2011 for ‘Gaan’ (The Village).

Beginning her literary journey at the age of six, she was honored with the State Youth Award for Poetry in 1999–2000 and, in 2012, was recognized among India’s ten best young writers by The Indian Express (Eye Magazine). In 2015, she participated in the prestigious Writers-in-Residence program at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

Prof. Panda has received over 40 national and state literary accolades, including the Times Power Women–Odisha Award (2021, 2023), IIMC Alumni of the Year Award (2023), The New Indian Express Devi Award (2023) and Femina Achievers Odisha Award (2025). Felicitated by more than 50 institutions and having participated in over 75 literary forums globally, her works widely translated into Indian languages, explore culture, identity and social consciousness.

A recipient of two Gold Medals, Prof. (Dr.) Gayatribala Panda topped in M.A. (Library and Information Science) from Utkal University. She was awarded another gold medal  by the Public Relations Society of India (East Region) for achieving the top rank in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal.

Currently, she serves as Professor and Head of PPRACHIN (SOA Centre for Preservation, Propagation, and Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India) promoting literary research and safeguarding India’s rich cultural heritage.