The academy was inaugurated on 15 October 1956, by
Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the former king of
Travancore, in
Thiruvananthapuram. It was shifted to its present location at City of
Thrissur in September 1957. Though the
Kerala Government provides the funding and support for the academy, the administration of the academy is autonomous according to its constitution. The academy recognises superior literary works through its annual literary awards for
Poetry,
Novel,
Story, Drama, Literary criticism, Biography – autobiography, Travelogue, Humour, Translation, Children's literature etc.. the academy is headed by
Malayalam short story writer Vaisakhan, who is serving as its president,
Khadija Mumtaz as its vice president, and
K P Mohanan as its secretary. ==Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award==