Diwali Art Contest 2026
Every spring, the Indian Link Diwali art contest turns our newsroom into a gallery of colour, each mandala a reminder that the Festival of Lights is best seen through young eyes.
This year’s mandala was bigger and more intricate than before, and our young artists rose to the challenge. Standing out for their colour sense, patience and Diwali spirit were Year 7 student Sreshta Meduru of Parramatta High School NSW, winner in the 8–12 years category, and Jiya Merai from Point Cook VIC, who takes out the 7-years-and-under category for the second year in a row.
A garden of greens
Sreshta Meduru is no stranger to these pages. A finalist in last year’s contest, this year she has gone all the way.
“This looks very detailed, but it would look so beautiful once it is coloured!” she remembers thinking when she first saw the design. Unsure where to begin, she tested colour combinations on a separate sheet of paper. One colour was non-negotiable. “I particularly wanted to include green because it is such a vivid and vibrant colour,” she tells Indian Link. Layering its many shades became her favourite part, giving her winning piece a lush, living quality. Beyond that, she let instinct lead, choosing colours as she went and trying not to overthink it.
The news of her win came with a twist. Her mum first told her she had made the Top 10. “I thought, ‘Oh, okay!’” Sreshta laughs. Then came the reveal: Mum was joking, Sreshta had won the competition.
The budding artist’s love of colours began at about seven, and art classes, which she started last year, have sharpened her technique. Since then she has been recognised in some 30 colouring and design competitions across Australia, including as a State Winner in the ABC News in Your Neighbourhood Art Competition and the 2025 Royal Life Saving Colouring Competition, and a State Finalist in the OzHarvest Food Waste Design Competition. Closer to home, her story about a special object was selected for Powerhouse Parramatta’s Guardians of the Dark competition, and will be exhibited for three years.
“I want my art to reflect my own personality rather than copy anyone else’s style,” says Sreshta, who dreams of one day exhibiting at the Louvre, no less.
“For me, Diwali means love, happiness and togetherness – and its colours are yellow and orange for the glow of diyas, and purple for joy.”
Twice as bright
Last year, a five-year-old Jiya Merai charmed us with a neat mandala in pink, purple and green. This year, the Year 1 student at Melbourne’s Featherbrook P-9 College has done it again.
Did last year’s win give her confidence? “Yes!” comes the instant reply.
Still, she wasn’t counting on a repeat. “This year, I thought just to participate, and did not expect to win again,” she says.
The bigger design meant room for more colours, and inspiration came from a family visit to a temple where she saw peacocks. “I really wanted to use peacock feather colours,” she says. The result is carefully planned: reds, yellows and oranges glowing at the centre, ringed by blue, gold and purple, much like the eye of a peacock feather. She also worked on colouring more evenly this time. Her favourite part was the middle, “as it looked beautiful.”
For Jiya, Diwali means light, colours and sweets, best captured in red, orange and yellow. Her next Diwali artwork, she claims, will show families celebrating together with diyas, rangoli, lanterns and sweets.
The win comes as a big surprise to the Merai family, and the celebrations will wait for Diwali itself. No doubt it will be a special Diwali – seeing little Jiya’s designs on Indian Link’s official Diwali card for 2026.
And yes, Jiya’s entering again next year!
The runners-up
Khushaal Agarwal of Craigieburn VIC, and Razel Puri of Point Cook VIC, took the runner-up awards in the 8–12 years and 7-years-and-under categories respectively. Khushal was last year’s winner in the older kids’ category.
A festival of light and colour
A much-loved tradition the Indian Link Diwali Art Contest 2026 has proved that young artists keep coming back, growing bolder and more skilful each time. Both of last year’s winners are back among this year’s prize-winners, and one of last year’s finalists now tops her category, a sign of how much these young artists put into every stroke.
The last word goes to our winners. “May this festival of lights fill your homes with happiness, your hearts with love and your lives with peace and prosperity,” says Sreshta. Jiya keeps it simple: “Happy Diwali! Enjoy this festival with friends and family.”
We congratulate all participants for bringing the Festival of Lights to life, one colour at a time.
Read more: 10 objects, 10 Diwalis
