Diwali Festival of Lights

2023-09-Diwali-Festival-of-Lights_SQ.jpg

Diwali is a 5-day festival that celebrates the triumph of good versus evil, light over darkness, and wisdom over ignorance. Residents of the City of Ryde from all backgrounds are encouraged to light up and decorate their homes to celebrate the Festival of Lights.

We were seeking participants to light up their apartments or houses with beautiful displays of lights and to submit their Rangoli artworks, which are set up or completed in their homes.

Rangoli is a traditional Indian art form where patterns are created on the floor using materials such as coloured rice, dry flour, coloured sand or flower petals. It’s an easy way to celebrate and participate in Diwali, as Rangoli designs can be simple or elaborate, allowing everyone to express their creativity regardless of skill level.

With $2,500 worth of prizes available, there were exciting competition categories for the best-decorated homes.

Categories and Prizes

Category 1: Best Home Lighting

  • House Exterior: $1,000 Gift Card
  • Apartment: $750 Gift Card

Category 2: Rangoli Artwork

  • 1st Place: $500 Gift Card
  • 2nd Place: $250 Gift Card

Key Dates

Entries opens at 9.00am Friday 26 September 2025.

Entries close at 11.59pm, Thursday, 23 October 2025

Winners announced on Saturday 1 November 2025, at the City of Ryde Diwali Celebration (West Ryde Plaza).

Terms and conditions apply, see below.

Competition entrants are advised to use LED or Solar LED lighting. LED lighting is cheaper to run, uses less energy, and lasts longer than other lighting options.

The best option is Solar LED lighting, which doesn't cost anything to run. Solar lights work by capturing energy from the sun during the day and storing it for use at night. Using energy-efficient lighting contributes to reaching the City of Ryde community target of Net Zero Emissions by 2040. View our Sustainable Living webpages for further information on living sustainably and reducing your household emissions.

Terms and conditions

  1. Eligibility:
    • The competition is open to residents of the City of Ryde LGA only, from 9 am Friday, 26 September 2025, through to 11:59 pm Thursday, 23 October 2025.
  2. Entry Submission:
    • All entries for the Best Home Lighting category must submit photos of their house or apartment with lights on, showcasing the display from different angles or positions, by 11:59pm Thursday, 23 October 2025, to be accepted into the judging phase.
    • For the Rangoli Artwork category, participants must submit photos of their completed Rangoli artwork, taken from different angles or positions, by 11:59 pm Thursday, 23 October 2025.
  3. Judging Process:
    • Entries will be shortlisted by City of Ryde staff based on photo submissions. The top 3 entries in each category will progress to the final round of judging.
    • Judging of the final round will be conducted by a judging panel between Friday, 24 October 2025 and Wednesday, 29 October 2025.
    • Judging for the Best Home Lighting category will be based solely on the photos submitted by entrants. To ensure fair assessment, it is crucial that the photos accurately represent the lighting display from different angles or positions. Criteria for judging will include creativity, originality, overall design, and how well the display captures the spirit and essence of Diwali.
    • Judging for the Rangoli Artwork category will be based on creativity, design complexity, and adherence to the traditional Rangoli style.
  4. Prizes:
    • Category 1: Best Home Lighting
      • House: $1,000 Gift Card
      • Apartment: $750 Prize Gift Card
    • Category 2: Rangoli Artwork
      • 1st Place: $500 Prize Gift Card
      • 2nd Place: $250 Prize Gift Card
  5. Notification of Winners:
    • Competition winners will be formally notified and recognised at the City of Ryde’s Diwali Celebration on Saturday, 1 November 2025.
    • Competition winners will also be announced publicly following the event via the City of Ryde website and social media.
  6. Conditions of Participation:
    • Judging will be conducted through a points system based on the overall display for the Best Home Lighting category and the quality of Rangoli artwork for the Rangoli category. The prizes for the competition will be awarded based on these scores.
    • City of Ryde Council will accept no liability for any consequences such as damage, injury, or theft arising out of entry to the competition or prizes accepted by entrants.
    • Collections for personal gain are prohibited and will lead to disqualification from the competition.
    • Entrants are not to use any area outside of their property for light displays, including sidewalks, electrical poles, and neighbouring areas. If you are living in a rental property, you will need to have written permission from your landlord before considering a display.
    • All Rangoli artwork submissions must be created within the entrant’s home and must not involve permanent alterations to the property.
  7. Compliance:
    • Failure to comply with the Terms and Conditions of entry may lead to your application being cancelled and prizes withdrawn.

 

2024 Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Diwali Festival of Lights Competition:
Best Home Lighting Category
House Exterior: Manish Shrestha, West Ryde
Apartment: Rashmi Dhongade, Meadowbank

Rangoli Artwork Category
1st Place: Krupa Kotecha, West Ryde
2nd Place: Rashmi Dhongade, Meadowbank 

You can explore a photo album featuring the winners here

Back to top