Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) is vital for a healthy, dignified life. In this direction, the Government of India, through flagship initiatives like Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G), is ensuring universal access to clean drinking water and sanitation in rural India.
Behavior change, especially among children, is a powerful driver of sustainable WaSH outcomes. Schools are effective spaces to initiate such change, as students not only adopt good practices but also influence their families and peer groups. By tapping into children's creativity and imagination, the poster competition aims to:
Encourage creativity and meaningful expression among students to foster behavioural change on WaSH.
Raise awareness on key WaSH issues in a child-friendly, engaging manner.
Encourage students to reflect on their roles as active agents of change.
Promote deeper understanding of hygiene, safe water, and sanitation habits.
Support the national agenda of community-led WASH transformation.
Engage young minds as advocates for better WASH practices.
Contribute to India’s progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).
Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under Ministry of Jal Shakti In collaboration with MyGov invites school students to participate in the competition which will serve as a means to foster ownership, empathy, and civic responsibility in India’s younger generation.
Category for Participation
Category A: Students from Standard 3 to 5
Category B: Students from Standard 6 to 8 Category C: Students from Standard 9 to 12
Theme
WaSH for a Swachh Sujal Gaon
An ideal Swachh Sujal Gaon is a rural village that exemplifies holistic development in water, sanitation, and hygiene. A village which ensures that every household, institutions (Schools, panchayat house, Anganwadi centre etc.) has access to safe and adequate drinking water through functional tap connections, sustains its Open Defecation Free (ODF) status with effective solid and liquid waste management systems, and demonstrates strong community participation in the planning and management of water and sanitation services through an active Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC). Additionally, the village conducts regular water quality testing using Field Test Kits (FTKs) at the community level, promotes safe WaSH practices.
Participation Guidelines
The Poster Making competition will be open for students of Classes 3 to 12 studying in schools under all State Board, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and all other school boards across the country.
The description of the poster can be provided in Indian language (13 language--Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, and Telugu), including English.
Technical Specifications
Digital Posters
Resolution: Minimum 300 DPI
Size: A3 or A4 (portrait/landscape)
Hand-drawn Posters
Paper size: A3 or A4 (portrait/landscape)
Upload scanned or high-quality photograph
** File formats: JPEG/JPG/PDF only (file size must not exceed 10 MB).
Timeline
1st September 2025Start Date - Form Submission
30th November 2025 Last date of Form Submission
Gratification
The first three winners from each category will be selected for rewards.
Additionally, 50 consolation prizes will be awarded to the next 50 best entries in each category, recognizing good efforts beyond the top three winners.
All selected entries will receive an e-Certificate for Appreciation by DDWS.
The results of all the categories will be announced on Blog.MyGov.in platform.
Category
Prize position
No. of Awardees
Per unit cost
Category 1
(Std 1-5)
1st Prize
1
₹5,000
2nd Prize
1
₹3,000
3rd Prize
1
₹2,000
Consolation Prize
50
₹1,000
Category 2
(Std 6-8)
1st Prize
1
₹5,000
2nd Prize
1
₹3,000
3rd Prize
1
₹2,000
Consolation Prize
50
₹1,000
Category 3
(Std 9-12)
1st Prize
1
₹5,000
2nd Prize
1
₹3,000
3rd Prize
1
₹2,000
Consolation Prize
50
₹1,000
Terms & Conditions
Submission formats for the poster is either Digital poster or scanned photo of Hand-drawn picture.
The posters to be uploaded in File formats: JPEG/JPG/PDF only (file size must not exceed 10 MB).
Only one entry of original artwork per student will be accepted from a participant. Submission of more than one entry by a participant will amount to disqualification.
Content of the poster should not be obscene or hurt any religious, linguistic or social sentiment.
The description of the poster may be provided in Indian language (13 language--Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, and Telugu), including English.
The poster must be original and should not violate any provision of the India Copyright Act, 1957. Entries copies from someone else will not be considered. Infringement of copyright will result in disqualification from the competition. The Government of India does not bear any responsibility for copyright violations or infringements of intellectual property carried out by the participants.
Poster entries will automatically be disqualified if any plagiarism or AI-generated art is detected.
Mention of the particulars of the participant anywhere in the poster will lead to disqualification.
DDWS, Ministry of Jal Shakti may use entries for social media, magazine or any promotional purposes.
Participants must mention the following details: Name, Age, Class, School, Category, Guardian's Contact Information, District, and State.
The Participants data may be verified by DDWS through district and state administration. If found any anomaly in data, it will be considered rejected.
Participants must ensure that their MyGov profile is complete and accurate, as the information will be used for official communication and issuance of certificates.
Applicants must declare that he/she is a school student and in the event of winning, if any information provided by him/her turns out to be false or if the poster submitted has copyright infringement issues, then he/she would automatically stand disqualified from the contest and will have no right or say whatsoever on the decisions taken by the evaluation committee.
The final evaluation of entries will be done by the Selection Committee authorized by DDWS.
Organizers will not accept any responsibility for entries that are lost, are late or incomplete or have not been transmitted due to computer error or any other error beyond the organizer’s reasonable control. Please note proof of submission of the entry is not proof of receipt of the same.
DDWS, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India reserves the right to cancel or amend all or any part of the competition/or the Term and Conditions/Technical Parameters/ Evaluation Criteria etc.
DDWS, Ministry of Jal Shakti will disburse the winning amount/reward to the selected winners after publishing the Winner Announcement Blog on blog.mygov.in
All disputes/ legal complaints are subject to the jurisdiction of Delhi only. Expenses incurred for this purpose will be borne by the parties themselves.
By participating in this activity, the participants shall abide by all the terms and conditions of the competition, including any amendments or further updates.
The terms and conditions henceforth shall be governed by Indian laws and the judgments of the Indian judicial system.