The prizes for the winners of Bangladesh Television鈥檚 Notun Kuri 2025 competition were distributed on Thursday, with chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus presenting the awards to the champions of the popular children鈥檚 talent contest.
The ceremony was held at the Shapla Hall of the chief adviser鈥檚 office at Tejgaon in Dhaka.
Addressing the event, Yunus termed the competition as a scope for self-discovery, saying that the Notun Kuri had created that scope for the country鈥檚 children and adolescents to unearth their talents.
鈥楩or these children, reaching this stage is a great event in their lives. It will inspire them to go further, to discover themselves. That is what this competition is all about 鈥� discovering oneself,鈥� he said.
鈥極n Thursday, this joy will spread to countless homes across Bangladesh. This celebration is not just for the children present here but for every family that supported them 鈥� watching with hope and love as their children competed and dreamed,鈥� the chief adviser said.
Professor Yunus emphasised that each child鈥檚 achievement, even small, marks a milestone of inspiration.
At the function, the chief adviser awarded two top performers under 鈥楰a鈥� and 鈥楰ha鈥� groups.
In Group 鈥楰a鈥�, Preyosi Chakraborty from Tangail emerged champion, while Shubho Mita Talukdar from Sunamganj topped in Group 鈥楰ha鈥�. Each received a crest and a cheque amounting to Tk 3,00,000.
Information and broadcasting adviser Md Mahfuj Alam attended the event as special guest, while information and broadcasting secretary Mahbuba Farzana presided over the function.
Under the initiative of the ministry of information and broadcasting, the state-run BTV arranged the iconic children鈥檚 talent hunt programme where thousands of participants from across the country contested in 12 categories, including dance, music, recitation, comedy, storytelling, and acting.
Launched in 1976 as the subcontinent鈥檚 first and largest reality show, Notun Kuri has long served as a platform to nurture young talent in arts and culture.
The competition, which had been discontinued in 2005, made its return this year after two decades following the directive of the chief adviser, marking the revival of the historic programme.
This year, 39,000 contestants registered online. Regional rounds were held from September 24 to 29 across 19 regions, followed by divisional and final selection rounds.
After competition, 279 contestants reached the 鈥楾op Ten鈥� phase, from which the best five were chosen.
Among the finalists was a dancer from the haor region of Sunamganj who, despite being born with one leg, captivated everyone with remarkable talent.
From the final round, 36 winners from Group 鈥楰a鈥�, 37 from Group 鈥楰ha鈥�, and the top ten overall were selected as this year鈥檚 Notun Kuri stars.
Over the years, the Notun Kuri stage has produced many leading figures in Bangladesh鈥檚 cultural arena, including Nusrat Imrose Tisha, Rumana Rashid Ishita, Kanak Chapa, Samina Chowdhury, Hemanti Rakhshit Das and dancer Chandni 鈥� all of whom have brought glory to the nation at home and abroad.
