Thrissur: Last year’s heartbreak turned into sweet revenge for Kannur as the district reclaimed the State School Kalolsavam title on the ‘soil of the strong’, sealing the crown with a dominant performance at Thrissur.

After missing the trophy by just five points at the Thiruvananthapuram festival in 2025, Kannur returned stronger and refused to loosen their grip this time. They topped the leaderboard from day one, 225 points on the opening day, 487 on day two and 739 on day three, and finished with a commanding 1,028 points, shutting out a late challenge from host district Thrissur.

This marks Kannur’s sixth overall championship, adding to their earlier wins in 1960, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2024.

The district fielded 949 students from 90 schools across 249 events, earning A grades in all but six items. In total, Kannur secured 240 A grades and six B grades, with two appeals upheld at the higher level.

In the High School General category, Kannur missed A grades in just three of the 101 events. Similarly, in the Higher Secondary section, only three out of 110 events did not earn top grades.

Kannur topped both the Higher Secondary section with 494 points and the High School section with 534 points, while also scoring 95 points each in the Arabic and Sanskrit festivals. They swept all group events with A grades.

Out of the 169 appeals filed from Kannur district, 31 were cleared at the state level.

Among individual schools, St Teresa’s AIHSS, Kannur, emerged as the top performer with 101 points, followed by Mambaram HSS with 70 points and Peralassery AKGS Government HSS with 50 points.

Kannur’s victory adds another chapter to its proud legacy at the State School Kalolsavam. The district first won the arts crown in 1960 at the Kozhikode, when competitions were held on an educational district basis and Thalassery topped the charts.

After the festival switched to a revenue district format, Kannur clinched the title in Ernakulam in 1997 with 273 points and successfully defended it in Thiruvananthapuram in 1998 with 303 points.

In 2000, Kannur shared the top spot with Ernakulam at the Palakkad Kalolsavam with 301 points each. After a 24-year wait, the district made a strong comeback by winning the crown in Kollam in 2024 with 952 points, before sealing yet another title this year.