The following awards are given by the Astronomical Society of India for achievements in astronomy and astrophysics.

• Awards

• Prof. M. K. Vainu Bappu Gold Medal
• Young Astronomer Award
• New Discovery Award
• Best Poster Award
• Best Presentation of Thesis Award
• Justice Oak Award for Outstanding Thesis in Astronomy

• Endowments

• Modali Endowment Lecture
• R. C. Gupta Endowment Lecture

Professor M. K. Vainu Bappu Gold Medal: The Astronomical Society of India has instituted a fund in the memory of Professor M. K. Vainu Bappu with the objectives to promote knowledge of Astronomy and Astrophysics and honour the contributions made by young scientists, normally not beyond 35 years of age, from any part of the world, in the field of astronomy and astrophysics.

As a token of appreciation of the scientist's contribution to astronomy and astrophysics, the Astronomical Society of India awards the Professor M.K. Vainu Bappu Gold Medal and a citation. The award is given at intervals of two years. The recipient of the medal shall be required to deliver the Vainu Bappu memorial lecture at a meeting of the Society. Partial support for the recipient's travel to the venue of the meeting and full local hospitality during the period of the meeting will be provided by the Society. Young astronomers with exceptional achievements and promise are eligible for the award. The scientific achievements may be in any branch of astronomy, astrophysics and related fields. There are no restrictions on the nationality.

Nominations of the best suited young persons for this award are invited at intervals of every two years. Work done prior to 31 December of the prescribed year only will be considered. The nomination may be made on a plain paper in the following format:

1. Name.
2. Affiliation.
3. Address for correspondence.
4. Date of birth.
5. Academic qualifications.
6. Major scientific achievements on which the nomination is based.
7. List of publications.
8. Reprints relevant to the recommendation.
9. Citations of relevance.
10. Any other information pertaining to the scientific excellence of the nominee.
11. Name and designation of the proposer along with the address for correspondence.
12. Signature of the proposer with date.

The nominations may be made by heads of institutions, directors of observatories, heads of departments or senior scientists. Each nomination, including all the supporting documents, should be submitted in quadruplicate to the secretary of the society before the deadline, as announced from time to time.

This award was instituted in the year 1986, and the following is the list of awardees:

Young Astronomer Award: The aim of this award, instituted by the Astronomical Society of India, is to motivate young Indian scientists to make outstanding research contributions in any aspect of astronomy/astrophysics and to publish the same in the Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India.

The award consists of a cash prize of Rs.10,000/- and a scroll/citation of honour which mentions the name/s of the author/s and the title of the winning research article, duly signed by the current President and the Secretary of the Society. The award is given once in two years, and at the time of each such `year of award' papers published in the Bulletin of ASI during the two previous calendar years and satisfying necessary conditions mentioned below are considered for the award. For example, the papers published during the calendar years 1983 and 1984 were considered for the first `year of award' which was the year 1985.

Only those research articles may be considered for the award, whose first author is an Indian National and whose age does not exceed 35 years on the first day of the period for which the award is being made. In case the article is written by more than one author, the prize money will be divided equally among all those authors who are eligible in the sense defined above.

The award is made on the basis of selection by a panel of three referees duly constituted by the Executive Council of ASI, soon after the publication of the last issue for the period of the Bulletin of ASI for which the award is made.

New Discovery Award: In order to recognise and appreciate the achievements of the Indian astronomers, the society has instituted an award for the discoveries of comets, asteroids, novae, supernovae and any other astrophysical phenomena. This award consists of a cash prize of Rs.10000/-, a medal and a citation. It is called as the New Discovery Award.

The prerequisite for this award is that the discovery should have been made by an Indian national in India. The proof and authenticity of the discovery should be provided by the one who stakes claim for the award. There is no age restriction for this award.

The nominations for this award may be made by heads of institutions, directors of observatories, heads of departments or senior scientists. Each nomination, including all the supporting documents, should be submitted in quadruplicate to the secretary of the society as and when the discovery is made.

Best Poster Award: A set of four awards has been instituted for the poster presentations at the scientific meetings of the society. Each award consists of Rs. 5,000/- and a certificate, and will be presented to the authors of the poster adjudged to be the best in each of the following disciplines:

1. Sun and the Solar System.
2. Stars and the Galaxy.
3. Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology.
4. Instrumentation.

K. D. Abhyankar Best presentation of thesis at the ASI meetings: This award has been instituted by the society to encourage the participation of young astronomers who have completed their theses during the last two years preceding a scientific meeting of the ASI.

These participants are given a set time slot to present the details of their respective theses at an appropriate scientific meeting of the ASI and a panel of judges duly appointed by the executive council of the society in consultation with the scientific organising committee of that meeting, shall select the best presentation.

The prize consists of a certificate, a cash award of Rs. 20,000/- and a book which is normally donated by the member(s) of ASI.

The naming of the prize in honour of Prof. K. D. Abhyankar was done by the General Body during ASI meeting in 2011.

Justice Oak Award for Outstanding Thesis in Astronomy: The society gives the Justice V.G. Oak Award for outstanding Ph.D. thesis in Astronomy by an Indian student. The nominations for this award may be made by senior scientists, directors or heads of institutes or observatories engaged in research in astronomy, astrophysics, planetary sciences and allied fields. The thesis should have been formally submitted in the year preceeding the year of the award. The award consists of books and a medal.

The objectives of the award is to encourage excellence amongst research students in India, and the award is given on the adjudication by a Standing Committee appointed by the ASI. The nominations should include a summary of the scientific work constituting the thesis, a statement regarding why the nominator considers the thesis outstanding, the curriculum vitae of the candidate and a signed letter by the nominator.

Modali Endowment Lecture: This endowment lecture has been instituted by the society through a fund donated by Dr. Sarma B. Modali. The lecture under this endowment may be on any topic in Astronomy. The selection for this endowment lecture is done by the Executive Council, who may utilise the suggestions made by the members of the Society.

R. C. Gupta Endowment Lecture: This endowment lecture has been instituted by the society through a fund donated by Prof.R.C. Gupta. The lecture under this endowment may specifically be on the history of astronomy. The selection for this endowment lecture is done by the executive council, who may utilise the suggestions made by the members of the Society.