Point your camera at one of India's oldest living towns and win up to ₹31,000 — that is the pitch from the Chief Minister's Office of Gujarat, which on Friday, 14 August 2026, announced the 'Anant Anadi Vadnagar' ('Eternal, Primordial Vadnagar') reel competition, inviting content creators across the country to capture the heritage of Vadnagar in short-video form.

What the 'Shravanotsav 2026' contest is asking for

Organised by the Gujarat Government in partnership with MyGov — the central government's citizen-engagement platform — the competition is pegged to Shravanotsav 2026, the state's annual month-long cultural festival held during the Hindu month of Shravan. Participants must film a reel showcasing Vadnagar's historical and cultural richness, then submit it via the MyGov portal at mygov.in. The prize pool goes up to ₹31,000, with entries accepted starting today.

The post, shared in Gujarati, urges creators: 'Vadnagarana aitihasik ane sanskrutik vaibhavne tamara camerama capture karo' — 'Capture the historical and cultural splendour of Vadnagar through your camera' — and to 'let your creativity win prizes.'

Why Vadnagar is worth a reel of its own

Vadnagar, a town in Mehsana district, is one of Gujarat's most archaeologically significant settlements — its excavation sites have yielded layers of continuous habitation stretching back over two millennia. The town is home to the Hatkeshwar Temple, ornate stepwells, and the twin Kirti Torans, a pair of 12th-century arched gateways that have become the town's visual signature. It is also widely known as the birthplace of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a fact that has sharpened national attention on the site in recent years.

Gujarat's tourism policy has flagged Vadnagar as a priority heritage circuit since the 2010s, and state-sponsored events have progressively built a calendar of visits, walks, and now digital campaigns around it.

Short videos as a heritage-promotion playbook

The contest follows a pattern increasingly common among state administrations: using MyGov-hosted reel competitions to turn ordinary smartphone users into de-facto tourism ambassadors. The formula is cost-efficient — modest cash prizes generate a large volume of user-created content that circulates organically on Instagram and YouTube Shorts, reaching audiences that polished government advertisements rarely touch. For Vadnagar, a town with deep historical credentials but relatively modest footfall compared to Ahmedabad or Somnath, the approach could meaningfully widen its digital footprint ahead of what may be a broader tourism push tied to Shravanotsav.

Watch for the announcement of winning entries and any follow-on tourism packages or site-development works the Gujarat Government ties to this campaign — that is where the real measure of intent will show.