Durga Puja contest: the Best Pandal Contest and the hopper prizes
Two contests run on Chaturthi: one for pandals, ranked by what visitors really rate them, and one for hoppers, where the top 10 by points win prizes when Dashami ends.
By Ravenex Technologies · Read this in Bangla
Contest 1: the Best Pandal Contest
Clubs and puja committees can list their pandal on Chaturthi. Once an admin has verified it, the pandal’s registered owner can enter it into the Best Pandal Contest from the Register Your Pandal page.
The ranking comes straight from hoppers’ 1 to 5 star ratings, averaged. Only someone who has checked in at a pandal can rate it, and there is no separate vote, so a club cannot vote for itself. A pandal with no ratings yet sits at the bottom of the list; it is not treated as the worst.
To enter: register your pandal, wait for it to be verified, then choose Enter Best Pandal Contest.
Contest 2: the hopper points race
Everyone with a free account earns points while they go pandal hopping. You get +20 for each new pandal you check in at (with your location on), +5 for every full kilometre you walk, +25 for each friend who joins through your referral link, +5 for each ground-report answer, +5 for rating a pandal for the first time after a location-verified check-in, and +30 for answering every ground-report question of one pandal. Badges add points too.
Points stop counting at the end of Dashami. The top 10 hoppers by total points win prizes, and the winners are announced in the app. The leaderboard is live in the app until then and shows first names only.
How to climb the leaderboard
Keep your location on when you check in: only location-verified check-ins score, and a manual check-in does not. Answer the ground-report questions at each pandal, since they help the next visitor and earn points. Invite friends with your own referral link.
Limits stop farming: distance only counts up to a cap per hour and per day, and each referral link works for one friend, once.
Quick answers
Is the Durga Puja contest free to enter?
Yes. Chaturthi is free, and every hopper with an account is in the points race automatically. Clubs enter the Best Pandal Contest for free once their pandal is verified.
How are the winners chosen?
Hoppers: the top 10 by total points when Dashami ends. Pandals: by average visitor rating, not by a vote anyone can organise.
When does the contest end?
Points stop counting at the end of Dashami, the last day of Durga Puja. The festival follows the lunar calendar, so the dates change every year.
How do I enter my club’s pandal?
Register it on the Register Your Pandal page, wait for verification, then choose Enter Best Pandal Contest on your pandal.