The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, in coordination with MyGov, has announced the winners of the Essay Competition on North East India. The contest was organised as part of the Independence Day Celebrations 2026.
The announcement said the competition was open from 6 July to 21 July 2026 and received 1,045 submissions. Participants wrote on North East India’s cultural heritage, development journey and recent progress.
The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, often referred to as MDoNER, is the Union government ministry associated with development matters concerning the North Eastern Region. MyGov is the government’s citizen engagement platform, where such public participation activities and result announcements are published.
Purpose of the essay competition
The competition invited participants to reflect on North East India through essays focused on development, social change and public contribution. The announcement highlighted the region’s heritage, its progress, and the role of its people in building a stronger India.
North East India is commonly discussed as a region with distinct cultural, social and geographical diversity. In the context of this competition, the essays were expected to connect that diversity with themes of transformation, prosperity, women’s leadership and development.
Essay themes
Participants submitted essays on two announced themes:
- From Periphery to Prosperity: The Transformational Journey of North East India
- Women of North East India: Leading Change and Development
The first theme focused on the region’s development journey. The second theme highlighted the role of women from North East India in change-making and development.
How entries were evaluated
According to the announcement, the entries were assessed by the designated Screening Committee of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.
The evaluation criteria included relevance to the theme, originality and creativity, clarity of thought, quality of language and expression, use of relevant facts and examples, strength of conclusion, and adherence to the prescribed guidelines.
These criteria indicate that submissions were judged not only on writing style but also on how clearly participants presented ideas, supported them with facts and examples, and stayed within the competition requirements.
Winners announced by MyGov
MyGov published a list of 13 selected winners. The first three listed winners are from Tripura, Mizoram and Meghalaya. The next 10 selected participants were also named for recognition.
The spellings, capitalisation and CID details below follow the published announcement.
Top three winners
- SaurabhKumarGupta, CID 31634, Tripura
- Humaid Ali, CID 33321, Mizoram
- FaisalAhmadSheikh, CID 31552, Meghalaya
Other selected winners
- kittu verma, CID 28294, Bihar
- Hemant, CID 28712, state/UT not available with MyGov
- Ahaana, CID 35407, Madhya Pradesh
- ABHISHEK THAKURATA, CID 28943, Maharashtra
- Maccha Kiran Sai, CID 46394, Telangana
- RakeshNoatia, CID 31210, state/UT not available with MyGov
- SaurabhKumarGupta, CID 31634, Tripura
- AjitkumarPradhan, CID 28029, Bihar
- Saraswati, CID 28382, National Capital Territory of Delhi
- Khwairakpam Lanngamba Singh, CID 30549, Rajasthan
The published list includes SaurabhKumarGupta with CID 31634 twice, at serial number 1 and serial number 10. LocalHindi.in is reporting the list as issued in the announcement.
Rewards and recognition
As per the announcement, the top three winners selected from the eight North-Eastern States are being felicitated with prizes. They also get the opportunity to witness the Independence Day Celebrations on 15 August 2026 at the Red Fort in New Delhi.
The next 10 winners are being felicitated with certificates.
The Red Fort event is the central Independence Day ceremony in New Delhi, where the national celebration is held each year. For the top three winners, the opportunity to attend the 2026 celebration is part of the recognition mentioned in the announcement.
Message from the announcement
MyGov and the Ministry congratulated the winners and thanked all participants for taking part in the essay competition. The announcement said the submissions helped highlight North East India’s heritage, progress and public contribution.
The result also shows the wide participation the competition received across the submission period. With 1,045 entries, the contest drew essays on both regional transformation and the leadership role of women from North East India.
The final selection was made after screening on the stated criteria, and the winners have been named for prizes, certificates and formal recognition as described in the MyGov announcement.
Source: MyGov Blog.