As part of the 76th Republic Day celebrations, Union minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth awarded prizes to the winners of the National School Band Competition in New Delhi on 25 January 2025. The Grand Finale, held on 24 and 25 January, featured teams from across India competing in pipe and brass band categories for boys and girls.
Pipe Band (Girls)
- 1st Prize: Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Patamda, East Singhbhum, Jharkhand (Eastern Zone)
- 2nd Prize: Bhonsala Military School Girls, Nasik, Maharashtra (Western Zone)
- 3rd Prize: Shri Thakurdwara Balika Vidyalaya, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh (Northern Zone)
- Consolation Prize: Monte CBSE School, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh (Southern Zone)
Pipe Band (Boys)
- 1st Prize: City Montessori School, Kanpur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (Northern Zone)
- 2nd Prize: North Sikkim Academy, Nangan, Sikkim (Eastern Zone)
- 3rd Prize: Rajarambapu Patil Military School, Sangli, Maharashtra (Western Zone)
- Consolation Prize: Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2, Belagavi Cantt., Karnataka (Southern Zone)
Brass Band (Girls)
- 1st Prize: Government Senior Secondary School West Point, Gangtok, Sikkim (Eastern Zone)
- 2nd Prize: St Joseph’s Convent Senior Secondary School, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (Western Zone)
- 3rd Prize: St Joseph’s Anglo Indian Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Kozhikode, Kerala (Southern Zone)
- Consolation Prize: Gayatri Vidyapeeth, Haridwar, Uttarakhand (Northern Zone)
Brass Band (Boys)
- 1st Prize: Prince Lotus Valley Academy, Sikar, Rajasthan (Western Zone)
- 2nd Prize: St Xavier’s Higher Secondary School, Pathaliaghat, Tripura (Eastern Zone)
- 3rd Prize: Pinegrove School, Subathu, Himachal Pradesh (Northern Zone)
- Consolation Prize: St Xavier’s English Medium School, Pathalgaon, Chhattisgarh (Southern Zone)
Cash prizes of ₹21,000, ₹16,000, and ₹11,000 were awarded to the first, second, and third prize winners respectively, along with trophies and certificates. Consolation prizes of ₹3,000 each were given to the remaining teams in each category.
The winning girls’ pipe band from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Jharkhand, will perform at the Kartavya Path during the Republic Day Parade on 26 January. Bands from Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2, Belagavi, and Government Senior Secondary School, Gangtok, will perform at the Beating Retreat Ceremony on 29 January at Vijay Chowk.
The competition, jointly organised by the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education since 2023, aims to foster national pride and unity among schoolchildren through music.
