The Grand Finale of the National School Band Competition, organised as part of the 77^th Republic Day Celebrations, was held at the National Bal Bhavan, New Delhi on January 24, 2026. Eighteen (18) teams in each zone (East, West, North & South) fought for the top honours in Brass Band Boys, Brass Band Girls, Pipe Band Boys and Pipe Band Girls categories, with Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth giving away the prizes. The teams in each category have been given a cash prize (1^st - Rs 51,000/-, 2^nd - Rs 31,000/-, 3^rd - Rs 21,000/-), a trophy, as well as certificates. Consolation cash prize of Rs 11,000/- have been to remaining team in each category. Their performances were evaluated by the Jury appointed by Ministry of Defence including members from each wing of the Armed forces (Army, Navy and Air Force). Following are the results of the Finale:

During the Republic Day parade this year, Avila Convent Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Venkitapuram, Coimbatore will make a special performance at Kartavya Path before the saluting dais.

In his address, Raksha Rajya Mantri congratulated the winners on their performances, and described the youth of the country as the main drivers of the nation in its journey to becoming Viksit Bharat by 2047. As the event coincided with the National Girl Child Day, which is observed on 24^th January every day, Raksha Rajya Mantri hailed the role of women personnel during Operation Sindoor, and stated that the Nari Shakti of the country is realising Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat.

Gracing the opening ceremony, Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh Singh appreciated the collaboration between the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Education in institutionalising the competition as part of the Republic Day Celebrations. He lauded the students for their dedication, precision and musical excellence, noting that such initiatives instill a deep sense of patriotism and national service among young learners.

Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education Shri Sanjay Kumar emphasised the significance of co-curricular platforms such as the National School Band Competition in nurturing leadership, discipline, teamwork and holistic development among students. He reiterated the Ministry of Education's sustained commitment to promoting diverse talents beyond the classroom, in line with the vision and objectives of the National Education Policy 2020.

The Competition was jointly conducted by the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education. The first level was conducted by all States/Union Territories (UTs) including schools from CBSE, ICSE, KVS, NVS, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Awasiya Vidyalaya, PM-SHRI and Sainik schools etc.

Four winner band groups from each State in each category participated in the Zonal level competition. Building on the success from last year’s competition, the enthusiasm and level of participation scaled up significantly this year. 763 school band teams participated at the State level, out of which 94 school band teams were shortlisted for the Zonal level. In the Zonal level competition, 80 school band teams from 30 States/UTs comprising 2,217 children participated.

*****

SR/Savvy