Legendary Shankar’s On-the-Spot Painting Competition Returns This Sunday, Keeping Alive a 74-Year Tradition That Celebrates Children’s Dreams
New Delhi [India], January 9: The brush strokes of thousands of young dreamers will fill Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium this Sunday as Children’s Book Trust (CBT) presents the 61st edition of Shankar’s On-the-Spot Painting Competition – India’s longest-running children’s art event that has nurtured creativity since 1952.
“Our aim is not to judge the picture drawn but to get a glimpse of the child’s emotion within,” says Navin Menon, Editor Publications at Children’s Book Trust. “We encourage children to paint their dreams. When a child picks up a brush, they’re not just creating art – they’re showing us how they see the world, and that vision deserves to be celebrated, not critiqued.”
What began as a defiant response to skeptics who doubted children’s artistic abilities has evolved into India’s most celebrated platform for young artists aged 5-16. This Sunday, January 11, over 5,000 children from across Delhi and NCR will transform blank canvases into windows of imagination in real-time.
The event’s origin story reads like a David-versus-Goliath tale. In 1952, when a skeptic dismissed prizewinning artworks at the Shankar’s International Children’s Competition (SICC) as “too accomplished” to be created by children, legendary cartoonist Shankar accepted the challenge. He organized an impromptu competition where children would paint on-the-spot, silencing doubters forever. That spontaneous event became an institution. After running successfully for over five decades, space constraints and traffic restrictions forced a temporary suspension. The competition’s revival in 2022 – fittingly on Children’s Day – sparked jubilation among parents and educators who had grown up with the tradition.
Shankar’s On-the-Spot Painting Competition offers a truly inclusive platform for young artists, with zero entry barriers and free participation. Children choose their topics on arrival and create their artwork on the spot, fostering immediate creativity and originality. Divided into three age groups 5–8, 9–12, and 13–16 years, the competition ensures fair evaluation. Over 100 prizes are awarded, including the prestigious Shankar’s Memorial Award, with all winning artworks showcased at the award ceremony.
The competition celebrates authenticity over technical perfection, valuing honest expression, composition, and colour. Scheduled for Sunday, January 11, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi, the event reaffirms the timeless charm of hand-painted art in a digital age.
For Registration: https://forms.gle/coLZJkq4NVAoQRhVA
About Children’s Book Trust: Founded in 1957, Children’s Book Trust is India’s pioneering publisher of children’s literature, committed to nurturing young minds through quality books and creative platforms.
Media Contact: Mr. Rajiv Khera
childrensbooktrust.nd@gmail.com
Children’s Book Trust
New Delhi
Event Date: Sunday, January 11, 2026
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
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