UAE: 3 students win Dh500,000 prize each in Arab Reading Challenge

The students were honoured by Dubai's Ruler during the awarding ceremony

Waad Barakat

Published: Wed 23 Oct 2024, 1:12 PM

Last updated: Wed 23 Oct 2024, 9:12 PM

Three students won the Arab Reading Challenge on Wednesday, beating 28 million others to share the crown. This is the first time that three participants have won the award together.

The winners are Hatem Al Turkawi , Kady Bint Misfer and Salsabil Sawalh. They will be receiving a cash prize of Dh500,000 each.

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Hatem, a Syrian, Kady, a Saudi, and Salsabil, a Palestinian student, were honoured by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during the award ceremony held at Dubai Opera.

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Hatem Al Turkawi, the youngest winner at just nine years old, has read an impressive 400 books and dreams of becoming a renowned poet. When asked about a favourite verse, he shared, “A mother is a school. If you prepare her, you will prepare people of good origins.” The young winner credited his mother for her unwavering support throughout his journey.

Sheikh Mohammed embracing Hatem

In its 8th season, the Arab Reading Challenge recorded unprecedented participation, with over 28.2 million students from 50 countries, representing 229,620 schools and guided by 154,643 supervisors.

Also sharing the first place was 11-year-old Kady Bint Misfer who outsanded 1,409,990 participants from Saudi Arabia to reach the finale. Kady, who enjoys reading and reciting poetry, expressed her joy: “After lots of effort, toil, and tremendous fatigue, here I am, successful. I feel so much joy in my heart on this day. I dedicate my success to my family who were always by my side, and to Sheikh Mohammed for opening the door to knowledge. I also thank my country Saudi Arabia, and to all those helped and supported me,” she told Khaleej Times.

Lastly, Salsabil Sawalha, a 17-year-old from Palestine, read 500 books to secure her title as the champion of Palestine out of 346,778 participants. With aspirations of working in journalism and media, she said, “I have been participating in the challenge since I was nine. Today, the dream is coming true. This competition has shaped our personalities and elevated all Arab students. My ambition is to leave a mark on this world.”

For this challenge, students read and summarised 50 books to compete in the qualifying rounds, moving from the class and school levels up to the national level.

Sheikh Mohammed reflected on the challenge's impact, stating, “Through it, our new generations have proven themselves ready to carry the torch of Arab civilisation and its timeless language.”

“Now in its eighth year, the Arab Reading Challenge has engaged an impressive 28 million students from 229,000 schools across 50 countries. I am immensely proud of this generation's renewed embrace of reading, and confident that their knowledge and hope will empower them to navigate the future," he added.

In addition to the main winners, Mohammed Al-Fateh Al-Rifai received the Community Champion title from a non-Arab country, earning Dh100,000. Mohamed Ahmed Hassan from Egypt was crowned as the winner in the people of determination category, while Al-Ebdah School, in Dubai, claimed first place among schools, winning Dh 1 million.

The unprecedented participation in this year’s Arab Reading Challenge marks a continuation of its success story since its inception. Over the past eight editions, 131 million students from 795,000 schools have participated, guided by 716,000 supervisors, showcasing a remarkable commitment to promoting reading and literacy across the Arab world and beyond.

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