Arab Reading Challenge To Announce Champion From 10.5 Million Participants Across 44 Countries At Dubai Opera On October 30

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Arab Reading Challenge 2018 is set to crown the champion of its third edition at a grand closing ceremony.

The event will take place on Tuesday, October 30, at Dubai Opera in the presence of guests from 44 countries, led by the finalists, who were chosen from among 10.5 million participants representing more than 52,000 schools across 44 countries.

His Excellency Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Secretary General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives, MBRGI and Chairman of the Supreme Committee of the Arab Reading Challenge, said: “The Challenge reflects His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision to build a generation of readers who can use knowledge to make the world a better place. The results of the competition testify to the wisdom of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s decision to invest in Arab youth and their future.”

He added: “The initiative aims to promote intellectual convergence, spark cultural dialogue and enhance the quality of education through establishing a culture of reading, research and critical thinking among the young Arab generation.”

His Excellency Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gergawi conveyed the pride of the Arab Reading Challenge team in the outstanding results it has achieved for the third year in a row. The number of participants in the 2018 edition increased by 25 percent on 2017.

The champion of the Arab Reading Challenge 2018 will be chosen from among 16 finalists at the award ceremony, concluding the third edition of the largest Arab knowledge initiative in the world.

The ceremony will also witness the announcement of the outstanding school from among 52,000 schools that participated this year, and the outstanding supervisor – carefully selected from teachers and educators who guided the contestants, encouraged them to read, and taught them how to summarize the books and benefit from the information they contain .Five schools from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Palestine, Algeria and Morocco will compete for the title of the Outstanding school this year.

In April 2018, several Arab capitals crowned their national champions of the Arab Reading Challenge, in addition to selecting the outstanding schools and outstanding supervisors.

The Third Edition of the Challenge

The total number of participants in this year’s Arab Reading Challenge rose to 10.5 million students from 44 countries in the Arab region and worldwide – an increase of 25 percent compared to 2017 – after opening the participation to Arab students residing outside the Arab world.

The national winners of the competition arrived in Dubai on Friday, October 26. Over the following two days, they participated in the semi-finals that culminated in selecting the candidates who will face the grand jury one last time at Dubai Opera. The jury and the audience will vote for the winner of the 2018 Arab Reading Challenge based on the contestants’ performance on the final day.

Reading Champions – Leaders of Tomorrow

The 16 finalists underwent several qualifying rounds and excelled among the 10.5 million students who share a passion for reading and a competitive spirit. Today, one of them is only a few steps away from winning the title of the Champion of the Arab Reading Challenge.

Participating Schools

The 52,000 schools participating in the third edition of the Arab Reading Challenge were subjected to several evaluations before the five finalists were selected based on specific criteria. All contenders for the title of the Outstanding School demonstrated excellence in literacy programs, activities and initiatives organized at the school and community level to encourage students to participate in the challenge. The winner, to be announced at the ceremony, will receive a cash prize worth AED1 million.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Arab Reading Challenge as part of the efforts of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives foundation in 2015 to encourage one million students to read 50 million books in one year. The results exceeded all expectations, with more than 3.5 million students reading 150 million books in a year.

The Arab Reading Challenge seeks to raise awareness of the importance of reading among Arab students in the Arab region and worldwide, enhance their level of education, and help them develop self-learning and self-expression skills as well as critical and creative thinking. The mission of the competition is to boost the ability of the members of the young Arab generation to build a prosperous future for themselves and their countries. This year’s edition expanded the geographical reach of the initiative through opening participation to students from Arab communities residing in non-Arab countries and non-native speakers of Arabic.

The participants of the Arab Reading Challenge, which requires each student to read 50 books during the academic year and summarize their highlights, compete for cash prizes with a total value of AED11 million (approximately US$3 million).

The Challenge includes several elimination stages. Students start competing at class level, then school level, proceeding to the level of the educational district, directorate or governorate, leading to the selection of the national winner.