The Arab Reading Challenge 2018 drew the participation of more than 10.5 million students contending for the championship title. In addition to naming the most prolific reader ‘Champion of the Arab Reading Challenge’, the third edition of the competition will include an award for outstanding school and outstanding supervisor, with cash prizes totaling AED11 million (more than US$3 million).

At the official launch of the educational contest in September 2015, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, called for the large-scale participation of students from all over the world.

The 2018 edition of the Arab Reading Challenge significantly expanded its geographical footprint, increasing the number of participating nations to 44 Arab and non-Arab countries, compared to 16 Arab countries in 2017. The competition also recorded a qualitative leap in the number of contestants that marks a 25 percent increase over last year. The number of supervisors participating this year reached 86,000, while the number of competing schools rose to 52,000, up by 11,000 on 2017.

Speaking on the figures, Najla Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the Arab Reading Challenge, said: “The directive of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to open participation to students from outside the Arab world received wide-ranging appreciation. It encouraged hundreds of thousands of Arab students in non-Arab countries to follow the example of their peers in the Arab world and join the competition, bringing the total number of participants to 10.5 million students from 44 countries.”

For his part, Abdulla Al Nuaimi, Project Manager at Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, said: “Expanding the reach of the Arab Reading Challenge in its third year reflects the success of the initiative in creating an inspiring cultural movement that promotes the culture of reading.”

He added: “The high uptake for the challenge from students around the world this year indicates the interest of members of the young generation across diverse educational levels and age groups in reading and acquiring sustainable knowledge.”

The top 10 contestants of each country will convene in Dubai from October 27 to 28 to compete for the winning title. The Champion of the Arab Reading Challenge 2018 will be crowned during the closing ceremony.

Of the AED11 million worth of prizes, the champion will receive AED800,000, while the outstanding school bags a cash prize of AED1 million, and the winner of the outstanding supervisor title walks away with AED300,000.

In April 2018, participants from countries including the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Palestine, Jordan, Sudan, Lebanon, Spain and Italy, convened in Dubai for the finals of the Arab Reading Challenge.