Sheikh Mohammed to honor Arab Reading Challenge winners in grand ceremony

The UAE will honor champions of the 8th edition of its iconic “Arab Reading Challenge” in a grand ceremony at the Dubai World Trade Centre today. The event will celebrate the winner, crowned the “Arab Reader,'' the "Outstanding Supervisor," the "Best School," and the top performer in the "People of Determination" category.

The “Arab Reading Challenge” is the largest-ever Arab literacy initiative, launched by Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-maktoum.

The goal is to promote reading and help students develop their Arabic comprehension and expression skills. It was launched in 2015 and challenges students to read as many books as possible (over 50) in one academic year.

This year's edition saw record participation with approximately 28.8 million students, marking a 13.7% increase from last year's 24.8 million participants. The students came from 229,000 schools across 50 countries worldwide.

What will the winner get?

As Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum officially announced, the winner of the ultimate“Arab Reader” title will receive 500,000 AED, while 200,000 AED is dedicated to the “People of Determination” category winner.

Moreover, 1 million AED will be awarded for the most “Distinguished School” while the “Distinguished Supervisor” will bag 300,000 AED. The winner's life will probably change after this achievement.

The candidates of Palestine

On Monday, the Arab Reading Challenge concluded its Palestinian finals. Salsabeel Hasan Swalha was crowned the top reader. Swalha, an 11th-grade student from North Hebron in Palestine, emerged victorious among 346,778 students from 1,486 schools.

The event also recognized Fadi Abdulrahman Abu Hamda from the Qalqilya Education Directorate as the "Outstanding Supervisor" and awarded the "Distinguished School" title to Awarta Secondary School for Girls in the Nablus region. Joan Asim Asaad, a 10th-grade student from the Al-Qabas School for the Visually Impaired in Ramallah, secured the top spot in the "People of Determination" category.