Competitions harness creativity: CM

Srinagar, Aug 14: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Friday felicitated 12 winners of various competitions organised during the Tulip Show and Badamwari Spring Festival, recognising their creativity, artistic talent and innovative use of digital media in promoting J&K’s iconic spring gardens and floral heritage.
The winners, who included a large number of students, particularly from Government Schools, were presented cash prizes and certificates of participation by the Chief Minister at a felicitation ceremony held here.
The awards covered three categories—painting, Instagram reels and photography—with winners securing the first, second and third positions in each category. In the painting competitions, Farhan Ali Bhat, Soleha Tanveer and Roja Fayaz secured the first, second and third positions respectively in the Tulip Festival 2026 competition, while Ahmreen Bashir, Mir Maryam Zaffar and Hanzala Shafiq bagged the top three positions in the Badamwari Almond Festival 2026 painting competition.
In the Instagram Reel Competition organised in connection with the Tulip Show 2026, Salman Ahmad Wani, Shazeeb Iqbal and Ayush Anand secured the first, second and third positions respectively. In the photography competition, Umair Wani, Saba Reshi and Sharafat Khan emerged winners, securing the first, second and third positions respectively.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the objective of these competitions was not only to encourage artistic and creative talent among students and young people but also to garner greater public attention to J&K’s major floral attractions through contemporary platforms.
The Chief Minister highlighted the main floral events in the annual floriculture calendar while appreciating that Badamwari, Tulip Garden and newly added Chrysanthemum festival witnessed great public participation and that these events get further visibility and attention through competitions in painting, photography and social media content creation.
He said the competitions provided an opportunity to recognise both traditional artistic expression and modern technology. He commended students from various schools for having won the prizes today and expressed the hope that more students will participate in these competitions next year.
The Chief Minister observed that while the painting competitions provide a platform for young artists to capture the beauty of the gardens on canvas, the photography and Instagram Reel competitions help showcase these destinations to a much wider audience through social media.
He emphasized that such initiatives help combine creativity, technology and tourism promotion, while nurturing young talent and creating greater awareness about J&K’s distinctive floral attractions.
Later, the Chief Minister also inspected the award-winning paintings and went through the photographs and Instagram reels submitted by the participants, appreciating the creativity and talent reflected in the entries.
Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, Commissioner Secretary Floriculture, Parks & Gardens Zubair Ahmed, Director Floriculture Kashmir Mathora Masoom, officers and officials of the Floriculture Department, awardees, participants and media persons were present on the occasion.