The Dasara Rangoli Competition held on Tuesday morning, October 13, at the Mysore Palace grounds witnessed some participants expressing displeasure over the judges’ verdict. In the competition, organized as part of the Mysuru Dasara celebrations, participants exhibited their creativity in the form of colourful rangoli designs.
The event celebrated traditional art and cultural expression; the responses of some participants highlighted the importance of transparency and satisfaction with the judging process at public competitions.
Rangoli Competition held at Mysore Palace
The rangoli competition was part of the Mahila & Makkala Dasara programme of activities that celebrate women, children, creativity, and cultural traditions.
According to the Mysuru Dasara 2026 programme, the rangoli event was to take place on October 13 in front of Amba Vilas Palace. The palace space was an easy place to show off your artwork with rich patterns and colourful designs.
Rangoli, a traditional Indian art form, is commonly made with coloured powders, flowers, rice flour, and other decorative materials. At festivals, it is associated with auspiciousness, hospitality, and cultural expression.
Participants Raise Concerns Over Judgement
Few people at the event expressed disappointment at the judging results, according to the report. Their reactions left something to be disputed on an otherwise celebratory occasion.
Sometimes competitions with creative artwork result in different opinions about the final outcome. Participants may have different expectations regarding originality, presentation, design complexity, and adherence to a theme.
In fact, it was not possible to know why the Mysore Palace competition was so much of a disappointment in the opinion of the participants; whether they voiced complaints or challenged judging criteria could not be confirmed from the sources available.
So reactions shouldn’t be taken as evidence that the judging was unfair or that the organisers were wrong.
Mysuru, Oct. 12 - The Dasara Rangoli Competition held this morning at Mysore Palace premises witnessed few of the participants expressing the displeasure of the judgement. https://t.co/tsTC63VyC8
— Star Of Mysore (@Star_Of_Mysore) October 13, 2026
Why Transparency Matters in Cultural Competitions?
Judging artistic competitions is difficult as technical considerations and creative interpretation play a role. The design that appeals to one viewer may be judged differently by a judge with a specific set of criteria.
Clearly communicating the rules, judging parameters, and scoring process can help participants understand how winners are selected. It can also help alleviate any misunderstandings when the final results do not match up with individuals’ expectations.
For traditional art competitions, criteria such as creativity, neatness, colour coordination, originality, and theme relevance can be considered, depending on the rules announced by the organisers.
There is no independently verified information available at present confirming the exact judging criteria used in this particular competition.
Dasara Continues to Celebrate Karnataka’s Cultural Heritage
Mysuru Dasara is one of the most influential cultural festivals in Karnataka and includes religious observances, artistic programmes, exhibitions, and public events. These are annual celebrations and a way to develop local talent and preserve traditional art forms.
Rangoli competitions encourage creativity and cultural practices to be contemporary with the people in this day and age.
Some participants (not all) disagreed with the verdict, but the competition was still embedded in the Dasara programme celebrating art and tradition.
More clarification from the organisers or participants would be needed to determine the precise nature of the disagreement and whether there were any formal concerns.
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