18 Under 18 Awards: The list of the final 50 candidates for Chapter II is out now!

Introducing Chapter ll of The Telegraph Online Edugraph's 18 Under 18 Awards, which celebrates and honors 18 outstanding young achievers from Eastern India under the age of 18. With this programme, we hope to identify young talent in a variety of fields and encourage students to keep pursuing their aspirations.

The 18 under 18 Awards Chapter ll, presented by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, is set to be even greater than the previous year's event.

This year, our initiative received an incredible 1200+ nominations from 250+ schools in the twelve eastern Indian states. We have also received nominations from small towns and non-metro areas, like Jiaganj, Koderma, Mankundu, Guskara, Nagaon, and Gumla along with significant urban centres like Kolkata, Jamshedpur, Asansol, Guwahati, and Patna.

And now it’s the time to announce the most exciting list of the final 50 candidates that we all have been looking forward to!

Also Read: 18 under 18 Awards: Looking Back At Last Year's Winners

18 Under 18: The Final 50 Candidates

From Rifle Shooter, Swimmer, Singer to Climber, Dancer, Actor and many more, Chapter II of 18 Under 18 Awards have a diversified range of talents from schools across Eastern India. Let's take a look at the list of candidates who have made it to the final 50 of the event.

1. Abhinav Shaw, Rifle-shooter, St. Vincent's High And Technical School, Asansol

Abhinav has his scope trained on taking India places. Winner of the West Bengal State Shooting Championship and gold medallist in the U-19 and U-21 10-meter mixed air rifle category at the National Shooting Championship in 2018, Abhinav’s shooting prowess is now taking him around the world to compete with the best. He has already secured a silver for 10-meter air rifle shooting at the ISSF Junior WC in Germany, and gold under the same category at the Asian Airgun Championship in Korea in 2022.

2. Abhineeth Bhowmik, Yoga practitioner, Agrasain Boys' School

For some yoga is a way to remain fit, but for 13-year-old Abhineeth yoga is something he wants to excel in. Recently, the Agrasain Boys' School student won the rhythmic yoga category at the CISCE 2022, a regional-level tournament. Abhineeth has won many other online yoga competitions and If one goes through the Asia Books of Records 2021, one will find Bhowmik as the record holder for performing the Hanumanasan for the longest duration.

3. Aditya Roy, Cricketer, South Point High School

Love for the game drove Aditya Roy, 16, to give all his free time to practising the sport and bettering his performance. Roy, who is the captain of the U-17 West Bengal 2022 cricket team, said that the sport has taught him leadership. As the captain of the school cricket team, he has won multiple Man of the Match titles at the inter-school level competition, Mayor's Cup, through the years.

4. Agniva Biswas, Dancer (Bharatanatyam), Douglas Memorial Higher Secondary School

Bharatanatyam dancer Agniva has a talent for making his presence felt on the stage. A CCRT scholar in Bharatanatyam, Agniva has been winning accolades in dance competitions in Kolkata in the Rabindra Nritya and Bharatnatyam categories. He has won silver at the All Bengal Dance competition and performed at large-scale events such as the Mayapuri Dance Festival 2021 in Puri, and the Agomoni Dance Festival 2021 in Kolkata.

5. Aishani Paul, Singer, Indus Valley World School

A top 15 finalist in Zee Bangla SAREGAMAPA 2022, Li’l Champs, Aishani is a trained classical singer and has been learning under eminent gurus at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy since the age of three. Besides singing, Aishani plays the guitar and tabla too. She has performed at many stage shows in Kolkata and across the country. A regular performer on television shows, Aishani has won several awards, citations, and medals over the years.

6. Amandeep Kaur, High jumper, DBMS English School, Jamshedpur

There is no bar high enough for this young high jumper from Jamshedpur. Currently training under Sanjeev Kumar, sports manager at Tata Steel, Amandeep is touching new heights winning gold in the 12th East Singhbhum District Athletics Meet 2022 and in the 16th Jharkhand State Inter District Junior Athletics Championship 2022. She also won silver in the CISCE Nationals Sports and Games 2022, held in Balewadi, Pune.

'Amandeep Kaur is a very promising young High Jumper, studying at D.B.M.S English School in Jamshedpur. She has won five gold medals and one silver medal for the high jump and made us proud. I believe under the meticulous guidance and training of her coach and the constant support from our school and teachers along with her parents, Amandeep Kaur will prove to be a National as well as International level Athlete. I wish her all the best for her future ventures, said Mrs Rajani Shekhar, Principal, DBMS English School, Jamshedpur.

7. Anirban Roy, Flautist, Don Bosco School, Liluah, Howrah

This 13-year-old flautist will enchant you with his skill on the flute and has worked his magic at various competitions across the state and country. A Bharat Ratna HS Subhalaxmi scholar, he has been growing his medal collection with wins at competitions like Master Madan Award, Kalki Gaurav Award, Sama Bal Puraskar, Zee Bangla Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, and more. He also won the Asian African Iconic Award in 2022.

‘It fills me with indescribable pleasure to see Anirban Roy, a student of class seven from Don Bosco School Liluah mesmerizing everyone with his charm. He has an exceptional bundle of talent. I wish him all the best for a bright future. God Bless,’ said Neville Reay, Assistant Teacher, Don Bosco Liluah

8. Anjistha Mallik, Dancer (Odissi), The BSS School

Anjistha is a talented Odissi dancer who has been awarded the Cultural Talent Search Scholarship by the Ministry of Cultural Resources and Training. The recipient of The Telegraph School Awards for Outstanding Talent, she has performed in several notable dance festivals such as the Uday Shankar Festival and the Bharat Sanskriti Utsav. Having won several accolades, she is a serious practitioner of her craft.

9. Ankolika Chakraborty, Table tennis player, St. Luke's Day School

Ankolika, a young paddler from Kolkata, has held first place in state and national level tournaments such as the Bengal State Table Tennis Championship 2021, and the National Ranking Table Tennis Championship 2021. Her determination and grit led her all the way to the U13 Girls’ Singles semi-finals of the World Table Tennis (WTT) Youth Contender Cairo 2022. She continues to strive for the best and has been ranked World No. 11 in the U11 group.

10. Anmol Dubey, All-rounder, Griffins International School, Kharagpur

Anmol Dubey is a science wiz and has recently won the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Alberta Government (2021-22). He has been the Edmonton (Alberta) Canada Regional Science Fair Winner in 2022 and has also Qualified for Canada Wide Science Fair in 2022. Having won several SOF awards and has presented his research at conferences. A true all-rounder, Anmol also plays the tabla, runs marathons, quizzes, acts and has even created a commercial website focused on photography and videos.

11. Anmol Saraogi, Basketball Player, La Martiniere For Boys

A national-level basketball player, Anmol began playing the sport when he was four. He led the U-19 West Bengal and Northeast basketball teams to the quarter-final stage of the CISCE National Tournament 2022 as a captain. He was also recognised as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the national-level inter-school event. Anmol has also won regional tournaments like the All Bengal Youth Basketball Championship and the West Bengal Sub-Junior Basketball Tournament.

‘A student with good leadership qualities, Anmol is not only perfect in scoring baskets on the basketball court but is equally efficient in scoring in Academics too. Hoping he is one amongst the 18 in The Telegraph 18 under 18 awards 2023’, said Mrs Minoo Seth - Teacher Coordinator of Cocurricular activities, La Martiniere For Boys.

12. Antarjita Pal, All-rounder, Harimati Devi Uchchatara Madhyamik Bohumukhi Balika Vidyalaya

Antarijta is a creative and composed communicator who is capable of giving some of the best public speakers a run for their money. She pursues her interests in debate, public speaking and poetry with equal passion and has claimed top spots in multiple events including the All Bengal Cultural Competition in recitation, and the ISRO Competition in the prose category. Her interests also spill over to acting and she has already appeared in television commercials for Shyam Steel and Tutopia.

13. Arnav Daga, Card Stacker, Sri Sri Academy

What started off as a hobby for Arnav at the age of 8, became a true passion by the age of 13. Since then Arnav has been adjudicated the India record holder for the tallest building created with playing cards in 2020 by the India Book of Records and the 'Grand Master' of creating a tall building with playing cards in Asia by the Asia Book of Records. Arnav broke his own record for the tallest card tower in May 2021 with the replica of the Qutub Minar.

14. Arnav Sinha, Innovator, Motilal Nehru Public School, Jamshedpur

Innovation is best described as the practical implementation of ideas that lead to either improving or introducing new goods and services, and this is exactly what drove Arnav, 16, to create and design a sensor-based sanitiser dispensing machine to help fight the spread of Covid-19. Arnav won the state-level robotics event called IRC School League 2018, which led him all the way to participate in the league's national-level championship in Delhi.

'Arnav Sinha, a bright youngster continues to uphold the institution's name. I am delighted that this creative genius' worth has been recognised. This achievement will give him the impetus for strengthening his skills in the years to come. Thank you, Edugraph!', said Mrs Ashu Tiwary, Principal, Motilal Nehru Public School Jamshedpur

15. Aryya Banik, Singer, Kalyani Public School, Barasat

Aryya is a Sangeet Piyasi and Natu Ganguly scholar and has worked as a playback singer in Bollywood and as a lead singer for the Bengali film Sa for the directorial debut of singer Arijit Singh. He started training in classical music under his mother when he was four years old and is a Master Madan Award recipient. He has performed all across India on important occasions such as the celebration of the 126th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's Chicago.

16. Asaawari Sahai, Coder, Modern High School For Girls

At 12, Asaawari has already finished three Microsoft Technology Associate certifications, which prove her efficiency with Python, Javascript, and her understanding of programming using CSS and HTML. She also secured the third spot in the regional level of CISCE National Sports & Games in 2022, and In recognition of her potential, ASSET Talent Search, a national school-level initiative, awarded her the gold scholar certificate.

'I am delighted to see Aashawari's self initiated quest for upskilling herself get recognition . A child with varied interests, I am sure she is a true life long learner,' said Mrs.Damayanti Mukherjee, Principal, Modern High School

17. Ashesh Mishra, Innovator, Lakshmipat Singhania Academy

Winner of the Atal Tinkerpreneur Catalysts @ ISB, a national-level competition of NITI Aayog, Ashesh is a science enthusiast who takes joy in innovating, mathematics and coding. Winner of the National ATL Space Challenge, organised by ISRO, Department of Space, Government of India, and of the Inspire Awards by Manak, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, Ashesh has also won IIT robotics competitions, demonstrating his genius for everything technology.

18. Asmita Ghosh, Swimmer, DAV Model School, Durgapur

For para-swimmer Asmita Ghosh, facing challenges is not a new experience. She has stage eight cerebral palsy but this go-getter has aligned her never back down mentality with her training sessions for para-swimming events. She has been winning medals in different swimming categories since 2016 and has recently secured four number-one spots at the National Para-Swimming Championship 2022.

19. Ayan Deghuria, All-rounder, MDB DAV Public School

Ayan’s interests extend beyond academics to astrophysics, social work, entrepreneurship, public speaking and writing. A recipient of the Bharatiya Chhatra Ratna Award in 2022, he is a certified Citizen Scientist, Citizen Astronomer, and Planetary Defender. Ayan is associated with the American Association of Variable Star Observers as a student researcher. He is also a member of the Space Generation Advisory Council and a student member of Space and Satellite Professionals International (SSPI).

20. Ayush Kar, Footballer, Douglas Memorial Higher Secondary School

Ayush Kar is all of 16 but already has made his mark as a young footballer and has played in several school-level and state-level matches. Some of his most remarkable achievements include playing in the Elite Youth Cup (U-17), a national-level tournament, and in the Senior District Championship on behalf of the Paragon Sporting Association. He has also played on behalf of Mohun Bagan A.C. for the All India Football Federation Hero Sub Junior League (U-13).

21. Biraj Dutta, Swimmer, St. Augustine's Day School, Barrackpore

Biraj is only 13 but has already emerged as a swimming wunderkind. Most recently, he won three gold and two silver medals at the CISCE National Sports and Games 2022 held at Bengaluru Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence. He has won several swimming championships at the state and district levels since 2018 and continues to add new feathers to his cap.

22. Indrayudh Ghosh, Actor, Gems Akademia International School

Indrayudh is an up-and-coming star in the entertainment industry and has appeared in the popular Bengali TV shows Saathi and Gangaram, aired on Sun Bangla and Star Jalsha respectively. An all-rounder, he has shown striking passion and dedication for sports such as chess and karate, winning several accolades. Painting and craft remain his other interests, which he also executes with equal zeal.

23. Kaylyn Yi Ping Liu, Basketball Player, La Martiniere For Girls Kolkata

This 16-year-old can shoot the hoops with the best of them. A member of the school basketball team as well as a member of the Burrabazar Yuvak Sabha Basketball Club, Kaylyn has played a number of tournaments since 2016, making an impact with her performances. She played in the CISCE Nationals, where she represented West Bengal and the Northeast region, both in 2019 and 2022. She was also selected for the SGFI CISCE Team for both years.

24. Lahama Das Talukdar, Singer, Berhampore Lipika Memorial Girls' High School, Berhampore

Lahama is a gifted musician who is an exponent of the rare Dhrupad form of Hindustani Classical music having taken taalim from Pandit Falguni Mitra from the age of four. She has been performing and winning accolades regularly in several national music competitions. An all-rounder having varied interests, she is a skilled orator and also stood first in her school in the West Bengal Madhyamik examination.

25. Mayand Tewary, Tennis player, St. Xavier's Collegiate School, Kolkata

Mayand has always been a go-getter when it came to sports. A black belt in Karate at the tender age of 8, Mayand wasn’t satisfied with mastering the sport and winning several inter-school championships. He started his journey into the world of tennis. Since then, Mayand, who is now 15 and has already won and participated in more than 30 tennis competitions in the state and nationally.

26. Mondrita Chatterjee, Social Worker, Hill Top School, Jamshedpur

It takes little to be aware of our community's challenges but a lot more to be proactive about solving them. Mondrita started her journey from Class IV when, with her father’s guidance, she made a toilet in the village of Kendradih – the first of its kind for a population of 350. A student of Class XII, she has already made 10 toilets, some using waste products like plastic bottles and fly ash, receiving recognition from the government and philanthropic organisations and inspiring many other youngsters to do their bit.

27. Mrittika Mallick, Chess player, Binodini Girls School

Mrittika is already making ripples in the world of chess at the age of 14. A master at her game, she won bronze in the Asian Youth Chess Championships 2022 (STANDARD) U-14 Girls, silver in the Asian Youth Chess Championships 2022 (BLITZ) U-14 Girls 2022, and also ranked 4th in the FIDE World Youth U14 Chess Championships 2022. And that are just a few of the laurels she has won this year alone.

28. Prajya Biswas, Scientist and innovator, Narayana School, Durgapur

Just 14 and Prajya has already made it to the Top 100 Influential Indians list and the Top 50 Inspiring Women 2022 list of Fox Story India. She is best known for Smart Car, an innovative device that records alcohol levels in a driver's breath. A writer, quizzer, innovator and cyberspace wiz, Prajya has won over 100 awards from the government of India, ISRO & India International Science Festival (IISF2021). She was recently recognised as a top-rising talent by the Rajiv Gandhi Icon Award 2022.

29. Prisha Bahety, Skater, Mahadevi Birla World Academy

Prisha is a roller speed skating national champion. She has 23 state medals, eight zonal medals, and 11 national medals, a trajectory she has continued into 2022. For the past seven years, she has been the West Bengal state champion, and is, at present, training under Nikhilesh Tabhane, India’s fastest skater.

30. Radhika Kejriwal, Skater, Mahadevi Birla World Academy

Radhika started skating at the age of seven. At present, she is the fastest skater in West Bengal in the 11-14 inline girls category and has won gold thrice in the state’s Roller Skates Championship 2022. At 12, Radhika puts in many hours of training daily and her ultimate goal is to be a part of the national squad and represent India internationally.

31. Rajvi Purkayastha, Violinist, Delhi Public School Guwahati

Rajvi is a recipient of the Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme 2020. For her talent with the violin, she received the Plaque of Honour at the National Badya Silver Moni Awards. She is focused on perfecting her skills with the violin but finds the time to excel academically and pursue other interests like dancing, singing, and painting.

'Rajvi Purkayastha, a student of Class 9 D from DPS GUWAHATI is an accomplished violin player and possesses a great zeal for learning and practicing music. Her interest lies in playing the violin in Hindustani style from a very young age. With the continued guidance and motivation from her Guru, she has completed her 4th-grade violin recital from ABRSM, London. She has also completed her Visharad, Part I in Hindustani Instrumental (Violin) from Bhatkhande Sangeet Vidyalaya, Lucknow. Besides she has also been awarded a music scholarship – 2020-21 from CCRT, New Delhi ( Under the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India)She has participated in various Inter House Violin competitions in school from an early age and has won many awards and accolades. She has also performed in various school events like annual functions, school carnivals, and formal farewells among many others. She participated in the Nilachala Utsav (14 to 20 July 2021) and was presented with a Plaque of Honour for her outstanding achievement. She also represented the school in the recently concluded Kala Utsav organised by the Government of Assam', said Chandralekha Rawat, Principal, DPS Guwahati.

32. Riddhish Dhar, Actor, La Maternelle High School

This student of La Maternelle High School is already making a mark as an actor with his memorable performances in several productions, including films, documentaries, and advertisements. He can be seen in films such as the City of Christmas, Miss Man, and Pride directed by Tathagata Ghosh and produced by SVF Group, Bahurupi, directed by Sayan Biswas, and Aparajito by Anik Dutta, among others.

33. Rishav Chakraborty, Singer, DAV Model School, Durgapur

Rishav is a national scholar in Hindustani classical music, recognised by the Union Ministry of Culture. He is a prolific performer and has displayed his talent in front of large gatherings across the state and country. He has played at over 20 competitions and secured awards at national competitions like the All India Music Competition and the Bharat Sanskriti Utsab.

34. Rituja Saha, Tennis player, Loreto Day School, Bow Bazar

A talented tennis player, at 15 Rituja is already a member of The All India Tennis Association and has ranked first in the Under 16 Girls ATF Junior Tennis Tour Ranking. She has represented West Bengal and India in several competitions and has won accolades to prove that she is a force to reckon with.

35. S.Shree Ganesan, Cricketer, Indus Valley World School

Shree Ganesan is an all-rounder making a difference. He bats as well as spins the ball and has been selected to represent Bengal in the Under-16 category at the BCCI tournaments in the 2020 - 2021, and 2021 – 2022 seasons as well as the 2022-23 season commencing in December. Shree has a fantastic haul of wickets and was the highest wicket-taker in the Bengal Inter District (U-16 category) Cricket Tournament in 2022.

36. Samara Mehta Vyas, Singer, La Martiniere For Girls Kolkata

Samara, a level three music certificate holder from The Associated Board of the Royal School of Music, began singing before she could speak. When she was 11 months old, the little one would hum her favorite rhymes. She has won several competitions in the Western Vocal category, her voice mesmerising judges and audiences alike. Besides singing, she is also interested in basketball, rugby and running.

37. Saparya Ghosh, Chess player, Ashok Hall for Girls

Saparya is the youngest woman chess player to have won the West Bengal State Senior Open Championship in 2022. She started playing chess in 2017 and has since then won two awards at the Asian Youth Chess Championship 2022 in standard and rapid formats of the game in the Under-12 girls' category in Indonesia. The 12-year-old, who aspires to be a Grandmaster, enjoys spending her free time with nature and listening to music.

38. Saumya Chatterjee, Tennis player, Delhi Public School Megacity

This 14-year-old has won the West Bengal State Tennis Championship and is ranked second in her age category. She has also proved herself in many national and state-level tournaments including the All India Tennis Association Championship Series, where she won in the under-16 doubles category and was a semi-finalist in the singles division. Besides pursuing her passion for the racket sport, she is a diploma holder in Nazrul Geeti and Rabindrasangeet.

39. Shreyansh Vikas Mishra, All-rounder, Sai International School, Bhubaneswar

He might be making waves across science fairs and maths, science, and cyberspace olympiads but Sreyansh is equally accomplished as a writer, winning several essay competitions, and in sports. At the age of 16, he accumulated numerous awards in the field of sports, academics, and technology, including the Inspire Awards - Manak. He has also been recognised as the top talent in the country by the Unified Council of India.

40. Shristi Poddar, Dancer (Odissi), St. Patrick's Higher Secondary School, Asansol

Shrishti is a prolific Odissi dancer, a passion she discovered at the age of three. At 17, she has won several competitions at the district, state, national and international levels and has performed at various state and national cultural festivals. Her passion and dedication to her art form have set her on the path to becoming a true virtuoso.

41. Shruti Majumdar, Gymnast, The Future Foundation School

An artistic gymnast, 13-year-old Shruti has been training for the last seven years and has recently won in the U-14 girls' artistic gymnastics (Beam) category at the CISCE National Sports and Games 2022. A consistent and graceful performer at district-level tournaments, she has placed first multiple times in the floor and beam categories.

'Shruti is not only talented but also very hard working. She is seeking to make a career in gymnastics and is a district champion. She has also won medals at several state-level competitions and has recently started practicing to excel in the junior category. Shruti is a multifaceted talent. Besides being excellent at gymnastics, she is also a brilliant artist, a talented Kathak dancer, and a diligent student. It fills me with great pride to see how relentlessly she strives to strike a balance between her studies and gymnastics. I wish her all the very best for her future,' said Sudeshna Bagchi, Class Teacher of Shruti.

42. Sneha Kar, Artist, Calcutta Public School, Kalikapur

Her brush strokes paint a thousand words and have secured displays of her work at state and national platforms and at international art exhibitions like Nostalgia and Monalisa International, which had artists participating from Greece, Spain, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. Sneha’s interest lies in abstract art and she dreams of holding solo exhibitions and experimenting with different mediums.

43. Sohini Sanjay Mohanty, Tennis player, KIIT International School, Bhubaneswar

Sohini became the first girl from Odisha to represent India at the ITF World Junior Championship 2022. She stood third representing India in the U-11 Ten-Pro 2019 event at Rafael Nadal Academy, Spain, and brought home the U-14 Super Series Doubles Crown in 2021. Seeded number one in the U-14 girl's category in the state and seventh in India, Sohini is the youngest player from Odisha to have won more than 60 titles.

‘Sohini Sanjay Mohanty a student in Grade 9 is not just a talented international tennis player but is equally good in academics. She is an extremely hard-working, dedicated, and humble girl. She respects all elders and focuses on her sports as well as academics. We are proud to have Sohini as our student’, said Ms Bijeta Pattanaik, Deputy Director of Research and Competition, KIIT Bhubaneshwar

44. Soujanya Maji, All-rounder, Saini International School, Howrah

Soujanya, 9, is a competitive spirit when it comes to science and maths and has ranked internationally in maths and science olympiads. But he doesn’t limit himself to academics. He has already won the Youngest Public Speaker Award 2022, is a national and state-level karate competitor from Bhubaneswar, and has been placed in the top three in many martial art tournaments.

'Soujanya Majhi of class 3A is a conscientious and hard-working student who stays focused on his work. He shows confidence in expressing himself in class, talks well in group discussions and is a good listener, and gives attention to details. He is quite an enthusiast and an all-rounder achieving success in scholastic as well as co-scholastic activities,' said Sanjeeda Asghar, Middle School Coordinator, Saini International School Howrah.

45. Souvagya Karmakar, Sitarist, BDM International

Souvagya has shown his caliber as a sitarist in district, state, and national level music competitions. Souvagya won the instruments category at Sangeet Milon Classical Voice of India in 2019. In 2021 he came first at the International Virtual Competition of Performing Arts for instrumental music. This year, he showed his musical prowess again by winning in the U-18 sitar division at the Pt. Rupak Kulkarni's Flute Academy Music event.

46. Swastika Bhujel, Swimmer, Delhi Public School Guwahati

As the swimming star of her school, Swastika is committed to winning. She has participated in many inter-school CBSE swimming competitions and secured first place in the SF Monofin 200m segment, as well as securing second place in four other segments At the All India Finswimming Federation Cup.

'Swastika Bhujel has been swimming in our school team since class 3. She is a very hard-working athlete. Her achievements are as follows: Participated in finswimming World Cup-2022 held at Phuket, National and state level finswimming championships and won medals ( represented Assam). She also participated and won medals in many CBSE NATIONALS & ZONAL LEVEL swimming competitions (represented DPS GUWAHATI) and also in State level swimming competitions, said Chandralekha Rawat, Principal, DPS Guwahati

47. Syndrela Das, Table tennis player, Kalyani Public School, Barasat

Synderla, ranked ITTF World No 5 in the under-13 age group, emerged victorious in the World Table Tennis (WTT) Youth Contender 2022 held in Slovenia and Italy in the U13 category. She rose to the limelight on the world stage with splendid performances in WTT events, in which she has been placed among the top 3 several times. In 2021 she claimed the first spot in the National Ranking Table Tennis Championship, outplaying numerous opponents.

48. Urjaswati Roy Chowdhury, Writer and singer, DAV Model School, IIT Kharagpur

This 13-year-old has gone from strength to strength in story writing and music. Urjaswati's stories have been featured in Sukhi Grihokone, a magazine by Bartaman publication, and in Anandamela, an ABP Group magazine. Last year, she was felicitated at the Kolkata Book Fair for her books Kumudir Jonno and Bhut-Adbhut-Kimbhut. She also placed 2nd and 3rd in the Atul Prasad and Lokogiti categories at the All Bengal Singing Competition.

49. Vaduguru Saiswaroop, Karateka, BDM International

Vaduguru, at the tender age of 13, shows immense potential as a fierce competitor in the field of karate. Last year alone, Vadguru, who has also been certified with a B rank in 1st Dan level from the Okinawa Shorin Ryu Shorinkan Karate-do Federation of India, won the Republic Day Cup National Karate Championship 2022 as well as placed 2nd in the Bongo Bhumi Cup 2022 International Karate Championship for Kata.

50. Vidula Prakash Abhale, Climber, J. H. Tarapore School, Jamshedpur

The 15-year-old Vidula is fearless when it comes to climbing rocks, that too without any harness or any form of rope support. She has been winning accolades since 2017 and has placed second speed-climbing in the sub-junior girls' category at the All India Bouldering and Speed Climbing Competition in 2019, won the National Sport Climbing Championship in 2020 and has even participated in the Asian Climbing Championship in Beijing in 2019.

Vote to make your favorite candidate win the Popular Choice Award by clicking here till 10 January 2023. Watch this space for more exciting information about 18 Under 18 Awards Chapter II.