The Nepal Tourism Board is paying NPR 1,00,000 for the best reel about Kukur Tihar, the day Nepal garlands its dogs. The board announced its first Kukur Tihar Reel Contest on November 3, 2026, with entries closing on November 21. Kukur Tihar itself falls this Sunday, November 8, the same day as the Laxmi Puja lamps, so the filming window is the next few days. Below are the rules as the board published them, one step most posts about the contest leave out, and some advice on filming dogs well.
The rules, from the Tourism Board's page
Everything in this table comes from the contest page on the Nepal Tourism Board's site, dated November 3, 2026.
| Rule | What the board says |
|---|---|
| Prize | NPR 1,00,000 |
| Theme | An original, engaging reel about Kukur Tihar |
| Language | In English, with English subtitles or an English narration or voice-over |
| Where to post | Your own Instagram or Facebook account |
| Hashtags | #NepalFestival and #KukurTihar |
| Tag | @nepaltourism on Instagram, or the Nepal Tourism Board page on Facebook |
| Also required | Email the video with a Google Drive link, viewing and downloading enabled, to photonepal@ntb.org.np |
| Deadline | November 21, 2026 |
| Rights | The board may use every submitted reel for promotion, publicity, marketing and digital communication on its platforms |
The last line matters if you film other people's pets or children: by entering, you let the board use the footage in its own campaigns, so ask the people in it first.
The step the social posts skip
Most summaries of the contest on Facebook and Instagram stop at "post it and tag the board". The board's page asks for a second step: an email to photonepal@ntb.org.np with your video and a Google Drive link that anyone with the link can view and download. A reel that is only posted may never reach the judges.
Two small things make the email easier. Upload the original file to Google Drive, not a screen recording of your reel, so the board gets full quality. And set the link's sharing to "anyone with the link" before you send it; a link that asks for access is easy to ignore.
What the rules don't say
The contest page is short, and several things are not on it: how many winners there will be, how entries are judged, when the winner is announced, who is eligible, how long a reel can be, and which time zone the deadline uses. Plan around the gaps. Send everything by November 20 Nepal time, keep the reel within each app's normal reel length, and if eligibility matters to you, ask the board at the same email address before you start.
What Kukur Tihar is, for your caption
Kukur Tihar is the second day of Tihar, the five-day festival of lights, and in 2026 it falls on Sunday, November 8. Families put a garland of marigolds (sayapatri) around their dog's neck, press a tika of red powder and rice onto its forehead, and give it a feast: meat, eggs, milk and sel roti, the ring-shaped rice bread fried for the festival. Street dogs get the same, from whoever passes.
The day thanks dogs on two counts. In Hindu belief the dog is the messenger of Yama, god of death, and the Mahabharata ends with a dog walking beside Yudhishthira to the gates of heaven, where it turns out to be Dharma in disguise. And dogs guard the house, which is the reason most families give. The day before belongs to crows, the day after to cows; the Dashain and Tihar guide explains each day.
A reel that gets these few facts into its English text answers the question an overseas viewer will ask first: why is that dog wearing flowers?
Filming Kukur Tihar kindly
These are our suggestions, not contest rules, but a reel that shows dogs being treated well is also the one the board can actually use.
- Film in the morning. This year Kukur Tihar and Laxmi Puja fall on the same day, so firecrackers start at dusk. Dogs are calmer, and the light is better, before noon.
- Ask before filming someone's dog. The puja is a family moment. Most owners are happy to be filmed; ask anyway, and say the clip may be used by the Tourism Board.
- Let the dog set the pace. A garland and a dab of tika on the forehead are the custom. Keep powder away from the eyes and nose, and stop if the dog backs away.
- Leave street dogs their space. Film from a distance and don't add to the food. By midday many have eaten more sel roti and boiled eggs than any dog should.
- Tell the viewer what they're seeing. The English requirement is a chance to explain: Kukur Tihar thanks dogs as messengers of Yama, the god of death, and as the household's guardians. A sentence of context lifts a cute clip into a story.
A dog and its owner outside a temple in Lalitpur; the old squares make a good backdrop for a Kukur Tihar reel
Where to film in the Kathmandu Valley on November 8
You don't need to go anywhere special: on Kukur Tihar morning every neighbourhood has garlanded dogs, pets and street dogs alike. For a backdrop that says Nepal at a glance, walk the old squares of Patan or Bhaktapur before the day-trippers arrive. Animal-welfare groups and the police dog-training school in Kathmandu usually hold their own Kukur Tihar ceremonies, which local media cover; check the news that morning for times. Our Tihar in Kathmandu guide has the rest of the week day by day, including where the Laxmi Puja lamps are best that evening.
Subtitles and voice-over
The language rule trips up Nepali creators most. Both Instagram's and Facebook's reel editors let you add on-screen text, and Instagram can generate captions automatically; read every line before posting, because auto-captions stumble on Nepali words like "tika" and "Kukur". If you speak in Nepali, add English subtitles over the top. If the reel has no speech, an English voice-over or a few lines of on-screen English text explaining the day meets the rule.
If you'd rather send wishes than film, the greeting card maker makes a Tihar card with your name in Nepali or English.
