Surya Prakash was born in 1940 in Madhira, Andhra Pradesh. He studied painting in Hyderabad and later trained under Ram Kumar in New Delhi. Starting with his first solo exhibition in Hyderabad in 1963, he has held over 50 solo exhibitions in India and abroad. He has also participated in numerous group shows and traveled extensively in Western Europe and the USA, amongst other countries. He has curated several exhibitions, acted as a member commissioner for the 5th and the 11th India Triennial and was a jury member for national and state art exhibitions. He has been nominated as a member of the national Art Advisory Committee of the National Gallery of Modern Art. He has participated in several artist workshops in India and abroad and has also conducted Artists camps for various corporate, educational, scientific and medical institutions. He is responsible for the art collection and initiatives of two major scientific research institutes in Hyderabad, namely the L V Prasad Eye Institute and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).

He has received numerous awards including the National Award and gold medals from Hyderabad Art Society and Andhra Pradesh Lalit Kala Akademi. The All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi conferred him with the title of Kala Vibhushan . He has received Pratibha Puraskaram from the Telugu University, while the Andhra Pradesh state government honoured him with the Hamsa Award . His paintings are in various public, corporate and private collections both in India and abroad. He lives in Hyderabad and works from his studio at L V Prasad Eye Institute.