Patna: Students from Bihar continued their strong performance in the national online crossword competition ACAD QUAD, with participants from Patna securing the top positions in both the School and College categories in the May 2026 rankings.
Dhairya Pandey of Don Bosco Academy, Patna, claimed first place in the School category, while Shraddha Shree of St Michael’s High School, Patna, retained the top spot in the College category.
The results further reinforced Bihar’s growing presence in competitive word puzzle and intellectual contests conducted at the national level.
Bihar Students Feature Prominently
In the School category, Nirbhay Raj and Abhishek Kumar of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Residential School, Pokhaira, Muzaffarpur, secured second and third positions respectively.
Among college participants, Soham Sarthak Sinha of IGIMS, Patna, finished second, while Om Kumar Jha of NIT Manipur secured third place.
The results meant that Bihar students occupied four of the top six positions across the School and College categories.
Winners In Senior And Global Categories
Outside the student categories, Dhirendra Tripathi of Ahmedabad secured first place in the Senior category, followed by Jacob Brahmakulam from Thrissur in Kerala and N Rangaswamy from Chennai.
In the Global category, Harish Kamath of Bengaluru emerged as the winner. Samit Kallianpur of Secunderabad and Ramki Krishnan of Chennai finished second and third respectively.
About ACAD QUAD
ACAD QUAD is an annual online crossword competition conducted through crypticsingh.com and comprises four separate daily contests held throughout the year.
The competitive season runs from February 1 to October 31 and is divided into four categories: School, College, Senior and Global.
The School and College categories are intended for students, while ACAD Senior is open to participants aged over 60. The Global category allows participation from enthusiasts residing anywhere in the world.
Free Participation
Organisers said participation in the competition is entirely free of cost.
Interested participants can register on the website to obtain login credentials and take part in the daily crossword challenges. In addition to rankings, organisers also award surprise gifts and prizes to participants who deliver outstanding performances in various categories throughout the season.
The competition has steadily gained popularity among students, educators and crossword enthusiasts, providing a platform to develop vocabulary, logical thinking and problem-solving skills through daily puzzle-solving activities.
