Fourteen women were given Shakti Awards during a gala dinner event at Surrey’s Bollywood Banquet Hall on Saturday evening (March 7).

The 20th annual event, timed with International Women’s Day, aims to honour women “who have displayed strength and excellence” in several categories, including academic, artistic, entrepreneurial, sports, public service and more.

The awards are hosted by Surrey-based Shakti Society, a non-profit organization “dedicated to empowering individuals, families and communities,” according to a post at shaktisociety.com.

“Every year, we receive nominations of outstanding women who are working hard to make a better society for all of us,” event planners say. “This year we had an extraordinary array of women who were nominated in many of our categories.”

The awards event serves as a fundraiser for Shakti Society, which gives scholarships to young women, hosts empowerment events and offers resources and referrals to women, particularly South Asian women.

The 2020 Shakti Award recipients are posted below.

Resilience and Leadership: Barinder Rasode

Artistic Achievement: Kirti Arneja

Artistic Excellence: Anju Bedi

Academic Excellence: Jennifer Marchbank

Academic Achievement: Shanee Prasad

Business Excellence: Rita Chohan

Community Service: Dr. Suseela Reddy

Excellence in Community Service: Kamilla Singh

Community Service (Group): Women Helping Women

Leadership Excellence: Neelam Sahota

Professional Excellence: Kasari Govender

Excellence for Resilience: Shahnaz Rahman

Resilience: Wasan Abdulrazzaq

Volunteering: Shabnam Khan

Volunteering (Youth): Shannon Permal