The 7th Arab Reading Challenge winners will be announced at Dubai Opera on 31st October.
In addition to recognizing the Arab Reading Champion, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum will honor the winner of the newly introduced "People of Determination" category.
In addition to the "Best School," the "Outstanding Supervisor," and the "Community Champion," the "Best School" will also be announced by Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Today, 46 delegations from 46 countries arrived in Dubai. At Dubai International Airport, organizers of the Arab Reading Challenge welcomed 500 people, including the semifinalists running for the Arab Reading Champion and Community Champion, as well as the top ten students from all Arab countries and their supervisors and parents.
To celebrate the occasion, the Arab Reading Challenge logo was featured on a special entry stamp at Dubai International Airport.
Cultural enrichment for the Arab world
Mohammed Al Gergawi, Secretary-General of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), said, "As part of the vision to build an enlightened generation capable of driving humanity forward, Her Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Arab Reading Challenge in 2015, which created an uninterrupted reading momentum in the Arab world."
In his opinion, structured reading, supported by guidance and evaluation, is essential for Arab youth to gain a rich learning experience. The goal is to create a generation that will innovate across all fields and lead their societies to the top of the global rankings."
In its seven-year journey, the Arab Reading Challenge has become the largest initiative of its kind in the Arab world. "The challenge has revived the passion for reading Arabic books and highlighted the language's richness."
Millions of students have become avid readers as a result of the challenge, according to Al Gergawi. He added that thousands of academic, educational, social, and cultural institutions provide ideal incubators for students, ensuring that the challenge's goals are met.
Prizes of great value
AED 500,000 will be awarded to the Arab Reading Champion, chosen from 24.8 million participants. Ultimately, the cash prize is intended to support the winner's pursuit of greater academic achievements and a broader understanding of the world around them.
In the 'People of Determination' category, a winner will be announced for the first time since the challenge began. A winner will be chosen from 22,506 participants and receive AED 200,000. To enhance the inclusion of people of determination into the Arab cultural scene and to strengthen their positive contributions to society, this category was introduced.
The semifinalists compete for the grand prize through oral and written tests before the jury shortlists the finalists based on their comprehension of text and ability to communicate accurately in Arabic; critical thinking; and general knowledge. It is expected that students will demonstrate exceptional analytical and public speaking skills.
Excellence is recognized
Three schools have qualified for the finals of the 7th Arab Reading Challenge out of 188,338 participants. On 31st October, the "Best School" will be announced.
To encourage reading among students and expand their knowledge, the winning school will receive a prize of AED 1 million.
AED 300,000 will be awarded to the "Outstanding Supervisor" selected from 149,826 participants in this year's challenge for encouraging children to read every day. Through the prize, supervisors will be encouraged to enhance their efforts in equipping students with reading skills and knowledge that will serve as a gateway to a more prosperous society.
Champion of the community
An Arab student living in 26 foreign countries will be announced as the Community Champion this year. AED 100,000 will be awarded to the champion.
Jurors narrowed down the semifinalists based on participants' articulation, communication, presentation skills, breadth of knowledge, and critical thinking skills.
Participation record
There was an 11 percent increase in participation in the 7th edition of the Arab Reading Challenge for 2023 in comparison to last year. A total of 24.8 million students from 46 countries, including more than 22,506 people of determination, participated in this year's challenge, representing more than 188,000 schools under the supervision of over 150,000 supervisors.
Despite the challenge's success since its inception, it has been able to build on it in its 7th edition. Mohammed Farah Jalloud, a 7-year-old Algerian, was crowned the first-ever Arab Reading Champion in 2016 after attracting 3.6 million students from 19 countries.
As a result of a double participation of 7.4 million students from 26 countries, Palestinian Afaf Al Sharif was declared the Arab Reading Champion 2017. After the participation was extended to Arabs living in foreign countries for the first time, Moroccan Mariam Amjoun was declared Arab Reading Champion at the age of nine in the 3rd edition of the challenge that recorded 10.5 million students from 44 countries.
The 4th edition attracted 13.5 million students from 49 countries, with the Sudanese Hadeel Anwar declared the Arab Reading Champion 2019.
Approximately 21 million people from 52 countries participated in the fifth edition, with Jordanian Abdullah Mohammed Abu Khalaf crowned champion. At the age of seven, Syrian Sham Al Bakour won the 2017 edition after outperforming 22.27 million students from 44 countries.
A pan-Arab project launched in September 2015 aims to encourage one million students in the Arab region to read at least 50 million books together each year.
Challenge for Arab Readers
A knowledge movement aimed at uniting millions of Arab readers around the world is being created by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. Since its inception, the challenge has expanded to target Arab students living abroad and non-native speakers learning Arabic. The challenge aims to promote open dialogue, tolerance, coexistence and acceptance of differences among students by introducing them to different cultures and customs through books. As a result of reading, children develop enlightened and healthy minds that can engage with the world and change the world for the better.