Kochi: Madhavan Mohan of Christ Nagar School, Thiruvananthapuram, won the first prize in the Manorama Saintgits BigQ Challenge, Kerala’s biggest inter-school quiz. The topper, who got a purse of Rs 3 lakh, is eligible for a free foreign tour along with his parents.

Ananthu Kannan of St Antony’s Public School in Kanjirappally won the second prize (Rs 2 lakh) in the competition that had covered all 14 districts of the state. The third prize (Rs 1 lakh) went to Ananthakrishnan G Nair of GB High School, Tirur.

The prizes were distributed by state Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh. Kottayam-based Saintgits Group of Education Institutions founder-director Thomas T John and Malayala Manorama Editorial Director Mathews Varghese also spoke at the function.

Twelve students vied in the final round of the competition that saw the participation of 3,000 school in the initial stages. The event featured a charity round, where participants made donations totalling Rs 6 lakh for voluntary activities of social benefit.