Participants at the semi-final of KIIT Nanhipari Little Miss India contest held in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.

As many as 30 contestants took part in the contest. They were selected from auditions held in Guwahati, Calcutta, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The contestants were awarded under various categories such as Miss Rapunzel (girl with the most beautiful hair), Miss Photogenic (girl who looked the best in the photoshoot round), Miss Selfie (one who has received the maximum number of likes on Facebook page), Miss Fashion (girl with the best costume), Miss Whizkid (girl with the highest marks in the quiz round), Miss Cinderella (girl with the best personality), Miss Urvasi (girl with the best talent), Miss Catwalk (girl who walks best on the ramp), Miss Monalisa (girl with the best smile) and Miss Active (most active girl in the sports round).

Nanhipari is a talent show for teenage girls in the age group of 13-16 years. In its 15th year now, the competition has gained popularity as the Little Miss India competition. The winner bags a prize of Rs 11 lakh, of which Rs 3 lakh is in cash. The remaining Rs 8 lakh is the education package offered to the winner at KIIT.

Renowned Odissi dancer Sanchita Bhattacharya, television actor and anchor Karan Oberoi, film producer Neelamadhav Panda, Indian model Natasha Assadi were the judges for the event.

Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee