Unified Theme, Individual Vision — Bengal's Biggest Pandal Design Contest Register Now
PANDAL OF
THE FUTURE
HERITAGE
REIMAGINED
INDIA IN
ONE PANDAL
NATURE'S
PANDAL
MYTHOLOGY &
MODERNITY
About the contest

Bengal comes alive during Durga Puja – where tradition meets imagination, and every pandal becomes a canvas for creativity.

Utkarsh India’s Virtual Puja Pandal Contest returns with Season 5, building on an award-winning legacy after being recognised as the Best Festive Campaign of 2024!

This year, choose from five exciting themes and bring your vision to life through Digital Art, Hand-Drawn or AI-Generated Pandals.

Represent your region across four zones – North, South, East and West Bengal – and let your pandal design showcase your unique vision.

  • Win Cash prizes worth ₹1.51 Lakh*
  • Trophies & Certificates
  • Showcase your creativity to the nation
  • Utkarsh Innovation Award for combining creativity with structural thinking, using Utkarsh Pipes

Design. Submit. Innovate. Win. Let your imagination shape this Pujo!

*T&C Apply
Themes to choose from
Futuristic pandal concept
PANDAL OF THE FUTURE
Heritage-inspired pandal concept
HERITAGE REIMAGINED
India-themed pandal concept
INDIA IN ONE PANDAL
Nature-inspired pandal concept
NATURE’S PANDAL
Mythology and modernity pandal concept
MYTHOLOGY & MODERNITY
Pandal concept using Utkarsh pipes
UTKARSH INNOVATION AWARD
Categories to participate in
Examples of the four contest participation categories
Prizes and recognition

DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION
2D/3D ART – IMAGE/VIDEO

1st Prize: ₹50,000Cash Prize
2nd Prize: ₹25,000Cash Prize
3rd Prize: ₹15,000Cash Prize

HAND DRAWN SKETCH

1st Prize: ₹20,000Cash Prize
2nd Prize: ₹10,000Cash Prize
3rd Prize: ₹5,000Cash Prize

UTKARSH INNOVATION AWARD

Winner: ₹20,000Cash Prize

AI-GENERATED PANDAL CONCEPT

1st Prize: ₹3,000Cash Prize
2nd Prize: ₹2,000Cash Prize
3rd Prize: ₹1,000Cash Prize

NOTE: ALL WINNERS WILL RECEIVE TROPHIES AND CERTIFICATES

Sequence of events

Register to participate

01

02

Work as per the flexible guidelines provided

Design your pandal in one of the 4 catagories

03

04

Submit your design with a short description on the landing page

Evaluation by Industry Experts & Celebrity Judges

05

06

Winner Announcement (Prize Distribution)

Winner Announcement (Prize Distribution)

07

Contest timelines
08th September 2026

REGISTRATIONS START

15th September 2026

DESIGN SUBMISSIONS START

08th October 2026

SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE | ROUND I

09th – 11th October  2026

ALBUM POSTING & JUDGING PERIOD

13th – 20th October 2026

AUDIENCE VOTING PERIOD | ROUND II

26th October 2026

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

Judging Criteria, Round I
Concept & Cultural Relevance
35 points
Visual Creativity & Detailing
35 points
Regional Spirit & Symbolism
25 points
Social Media Engagement
05 points
Judging Criteria, Round II

The shortlisted Top 20 designs go public, and the audience
votes for their favourites.

The finalists can get their friends and family to vote for their
designs.

Our Esteemed Judges for Round I
Abin Chaudhuri
Abin ChaudhuriRenowned Architect
Priyanka Sarkar
Priyanka SarkarActress
Utkarsh Bansal
Utkarsh BansalED, Utkarsh India
Soham Majumdar
Soham MajumdarActor
Glimpses from previous prize distributions

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Register Now

Is your design ready?

submit your design today

Upload images

-Max file size 10 MB. For multiple files, zip them into a single folder. You can also email designs directly to info@utkarshindia.in

The last date of submission is 8th October, 2026

2022 Design Gallery

2023 Design Gallery

2024 Design Gallery

2025 Design Gallery

Terms & Conditions

Participants must be from India

Only designs in aforementioned themes & categories will be accepted.

Irrelevant and vulgar photos will be removed and the user will be banned from the page.

A person with valid contact details and proven citizenship will only be eligible to get the prizes.

The contest policies, acceptance status of participation and prizes are all subject to changes as per Utkarsh India.

No participant can send in multiple entries.

Utkarsh India is entitled to reject any application for any reason at any point of time.

The decision of the jury is final and irrevocable.

In any situation, Utkarsh India can discontinue this contest or modify the rules/regulations or terms and conditions without any prior notice.

Pandals or Participants Images can be used by Utkarsh India for promotional purposes.

All winners have to be present at the decided venue by Utkarsh India, at their own cost, to collect the prize. Under no circumstances will it be provided online.