Children aged 5 to 17 as of 25 October 2026, that is, children born between October 2009 and October 2021. Children above 17 cannot participate.

Children are seated in three separate areas: 5–8, 9–12 and 13–17 years. Subjects for each group are announced at the start of the competition.

No. Entry is free.

Please be present by 9:30 AM. The competition runs from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM, and no child is admitted after 11:00 AM.

All drawing materials: paper, colours, brushes, boards and so on. Paper sizes are 15″ × 11″ (Quarter Imperial) for ages 5–8, and 22″ × 15″ (Half Imperial) for ages 9–12 and 13–17. Paintings should preferably be in colour.

Full name, full residential address, date of birth, age, mobile number, school name, full school address, and whether boy or girl.

No. Only children are allowed inside the venue. Parents, teachers and other adults sit in their designated area, and unauthorised entry disqualifies the child.

The best entry gets the Shankar's Memorial Gold Medal. The next two get the Children's Book Trust Gold Medal and the Children's World Gold Medal. There are additional prizes, and entries selected for exhibition receive Certificates of Merit.

Entry and parking are at Stadium Gate No. 1 (Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Lodhi Road). The nearest metro is JLN Metro Station, Gate No. 3.