State-Level Competition for Public Ganesh Festival Mandals; First Prize of Five Lakh Rupees

Pune | The Cultural Affairs Department’s P.L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy has organized the ‘Maharashtra State Best Public Ganesh Festival Mandal Competition 2025’ for registered organizations or licensed public Ganesh festival mandals. Applications for the competition should be submitted online from 20th July to 20th August 2025, as announced.

This competition is free of cost and aims to reward the efforts made in organizing cultural programs, cultural competitions, preservation and promotion of culture, conservation of forts, conservation and promotion of national and state monuments, places of worship, public awareness regarding conservation and promotion, various social initiatives and activities, eco-friendly idols, eco-friendly decorations, noise-free environment, facilities provided for devotees, etc. The objective of the government is to appreciate such activities and encourage more community-oriented initiatives through incentive-based awards. The evaluation of the competition will be done based on these criteria.

During the Ganesh festival starting from 27th August, district-level committees formed by the District Collector offices of each district will visit the festival sites of the participating mandals or organizations and conduct district-level evaluations. From Pune, Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, and Thane districts, three recommendations each will be selected, and from other districts, one recommendation each will be selected, making a total of 44 recommendations for state-level evaluation.

The application for this competition will be accepted only through the online portal provided on the Academy’s website. For more information about the competition, participants are advised to contact the District Collector office, as stated by Academy Director Meenal Joglekar in a press release.

Adv. Ashish Shelar, Minister of Cultural Affairs, Maharashtra State-
In the ‘Maharashtra State Best Public Ganesh Festival Mandal Competition 2025,’ the top three winners at the state level will be awarded ₹5 lakh, ₹2.5 lakh, and ₹1 lakh along with certificates. Other district-level first prize winners will receive ₹25,000 and a certificate. All mandals are encouraged to participate in large numbers.