The 52nd Annual Cultural Competition Prize Distribution Ceremony was held on 8 August 2026 at the Vivekananda Cultural Centre (Quinton Memorial Hall), Quinton Road, Shillong, a sub-centre of Ramakrishna Mission, Shillong. The ceremony commenced at 3:00 p.m. with floral tributes at the Meditation Hall, followed by the lighting of the ceremonial lamp amidst Vedic chanting by volunteers of the Vivekananda Youth Forum.
The ceremony honoured the achievements of participants in the Annual Cultural Competition 2026, which drew participation from 102 institutes out of 133 invited, with a total enrolment of 2,574 students competing across 35 events over 9 days of competition. The prizes awarded were as follows:
| Prize Category | Number of Prizes |
|---|---|
| First Prize | 40 |
| Second Prize | 45 |
| Third Prize | 43 |
| Special Encouragement Prize | 125 |
| Total | 253 |
In his welcome address, Swami Hitakamananda drew from the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and the Bhagavad Gita to highlight purity, perseverance, and patience as the foundations of true success. He underscored the value of unselfishness, noting that genuine competition lies not in envy or the disparagement of others, but in the resolve to surpass one’s own past achievements.
Selected recitations and songs by prize winners were then presented before the gathering. The Guest of Honour, Swami Buddhadevananda, addressed the audience in both Khasi and English, inspiring the participants to view winning and losing as stepping stones rather than ends in themselves. He emphasised that true success flows from dedicated effort, the continuous pursuit of knowledge, the cultivation of inner values, and prayers for the welfare of all beings — thereby fulfilling Swami Vivekananda’s vision for humanity.
The Chief Guest, Shri B.D.R. Tiwari, IAS, Chief Electoral Officer, Government of Meghalaya, commended the Ramakrishna Mission for conducting the event at such scale and for propagating the universal ideals of Swami Vivekananda beyond the boundaries of religion. He enriched his address by invoking the Khasi tenets of ‘Tip Blei, Tip Briew’ (knowing God and knowing man) and ‘Kamai ia ka hok’ (earning righteousness), bridging Vedantic ideals with indigenous wisdom. He made special mention of a moving Sanskrit hymn recitation by Shazia Naaz, and concluded by invoking the blessings of ‘U Blei Shillong’ upon the Mission and all present.
Swami Vedeshananda thereafter offered a formal expression of gratitude to the participants, prize winners, the 53 judges, the participating institutes, parents, and volunteers whose collective efforts made the competition possible.
The ceremony culminated in the distribution of prizes. Army Public School was recognised as the best institution with the maximum number of prizes, with Pine Mount School as the first Runner-Up institution. The proceedings concluded with a grand group photograph of the champions alongside the distinguished guests.