Cash prizes announced for best pandal, idol, cleanliness, discipline and immersion
Jharsuguda: For the first time, Jharsuguda city is set to host the ‘Jharsuguda Ganesh Puja Awards 2026’, an initiative aimed at recognising the creativity, hard work, dedication and community spirit of various Ganesh Puja committees across the city.
The awards are being organised jointly by the Jharsuguda Puja Awards Committee (JPAC) and local digital platform JSGLIVE.IN. The initiative has been conceptualised by Siddharth Awasthy, Ritesh Sharma and Krishna Mundra.
Every year, Ganesh Puja committees across Jharsuguda put considerable effort into creating attractive pandals, artistic idols, lighting arrangements and disciplined crowd-management systems. The awards seek to recognise these efforts and encourage committees to organise more creative, organised and community-oriented celebrations in the future.
According to the organisers, a cash prize of Rs 31,000 will be awarded for the Best Pandal and Decoration, while the winner of the Best Idol category will receive Rs 21,000. The award for Best Discipline and Clean Pandal carries a cash prize of Rs 11,000, while Best Immersion will fetch Rs 21,000. Runners-up prizes will also be awarded in some categories.
In addition, winners in four special categories — Highest Votes, New Concept, Idol and Special Jury Choice — will receive Rs 5,100 each.
Speaking about the initiative, Siddharth Awasthi said the idea of creating a platform to recognise the efforts of Puja committees had been under consideration for the past two years. “This year, with the support of JSGLIVE.IN, the idea has taken shape,” he said.
A dedicated online voting platform has also been launched for the public. Voting will be held from September 14 to September 24. Each participating Puja committee will have a designated QR code, through which members of the public can cast their votes after mobile OTP verification.
However, the winners will not be decided solely on the basis of public voting. According to Ritesh Sharma, the final results will be determined by combining the public voting results with the assessment of an independent jury panel.
The jury panel comprises Sanjay Lodha, Sandeep Awasthy, Mukesh Tiwari, Sanjay Panigrahi, Ashish Das and Akshay Pati.
The organisers also highlighted the economic impact of Ganesh Puja celebrations, noting that the festivities create business opportunities for decorators, artisans, electricians, lighting and sound service providers, food vendors and small traders.
Krishna Mundra appealed to citizens, social organisations and various institutions in Jharsuguda to support the initiative and help turn it into a major annual celebration in the city.
Under the message “Our Pandal, Our Pride,” JPAC has urged residents of Jharsuguda to participate in the voting process and support the Puja committee of their choice.
A press conference announcing the awards was held at a hotel in Jharsuguda. Ritesh Sharma, Siddharth Awasthi, Krishna Mundra, Sanjay Lodha, Sandeep Awasthi and Mukesh Tiwari, among others, were present.
