Defending champions Kozhikode reigned supreme and retained the Golden Cup at the 58th Kalolsavam at Thrissur on Wednesday. This is the 12th time in a row that Kozhikode is winning the cup.

Kozhikode scored 895 points at the 58th Kerala State School Arts Festival, followed by Palakkad with 893 points and Malapuram with 875 points.

The five-day festival witnessed a tough fight between Palakkad and Kozhikode which finally walked away with the trophy.

The festival, organised by the Education Department, saw the participation of over 12,000 contestants. Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala inaugurated the valedictory function.

The School Festival or Kerala School Kalolsavam was launched by Director of Public Instructions Dr. C.S. Venkateswaran in 1956 to spot talents of budding artists. The event assumes great importance as film makers pick up new faces from the festival. Many artistes including Manju Warrier, Kavya Madhavan, Navya Nair, Vineeth, Divyaa Unni, Vineeth Sreenivasan were spotted by their directors during the Kalolsavams.

The 59th Kalolsavam will be held at Alappuzha.