Dimapur: Mizoram’s Terat band has won the third edition of ‘Ticket to Hornbill 2026’, earning an opportunity to perform at the Hornbill Music Festival in Nagaland in December.
Terat emerged winner among 221 bands that auditioned for the contest, whose grand finale was held at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi.
Steel Falcon from Bengaluru secured the first runner-up position, while Nchanter from Uttarakhand finished second runner-up.
Twelve bands performed in the preliminary round, from which five were shortlisted to compete for the top three positions.
The top three bands will perform at the Hornbill Music Festival 2026, scheduled to be held at Kisama near Kohima from December 1 to 10.
This year’s edition marked the first time that ‘Ticket to Hornbill’ was organised outside Nagaland. The contest is in its third edition.
Explaining the decision to host the event in Delhi, Theja Meru, chairman of the Task Force for Music and Arts (TaFMA), Nagaland, said the national capital was chosen to showcase the state’s music scene and provide better accessibility at lower costs. He also cited Delhi’s large Naga community and the city’s suitability for participating bands.
The event was organised by the Nagaland Tourism Department in collaboration with TaFMA, with support from the Union Ministry of Tourism.
Terat received a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, while Steel Falcon and Nchanter were awarded Rs 6 lakh and Rs 4 lakh, respectively.
Casio India sponsored this year’s winners. A separate prize of Rs 5 lakh, sponsored by Furtados and Sennheiser, was awarded to winners in individual categories.
The judging panel for the contest comprised Subir Malik, founder of Parikrama; Arpito Gope, chief consultant to TaFMA; and Mayank Mittal, frontman of KAPOW, described as India’s first comic rock band.