Mayar Mohamed Ragab Othman, an 11-year-old Egyptian girl from Kafr El Sheikh Governorate, has been crowned champion of the 10th Arab Reading Challenge, receiving a Dh500,000 prize. More than 40 million students from 60 countries participated in this year’s competition.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, honoured the winner at the competition’s closing ceremony at Dubai World Trade Centre on Thursday, October 29, 2026.

Mayar was overcome with emotion and shed tears of joy as she received the award and medal of honour from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.

More than 40 million students from 60 countries take part

The 10th Arab Reading Challenge attracted 40,286,428 students from 60 countries, marking the highest participation in the competition’s history.

The participants included 74,062 students with disabilities. A total of 138,426 schools and 161,507 educational supervisors also took part in this edition.

Dh1 million prize for Tunisian school

In the outstanding schools category, Sidi Amer Primary School from Tunisia was named the top-performing school and received a Dh1 million prize.

Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, honoured the school’s representatives.

Mahmoud Omran, a visually impaired Syrian student, took first place in the category for people with disabilities and received a Dh200,000 prize.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, honoured the student.

Dh110 million awarded over 10 editions

The Arab Reading Challenge was launched in 2015 on the initiative of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to promote a culture of reading, strengthen Arabic-language skills and foster a love of books among younger generations.

The competition awards Dh11 million annually to winners across various categories, bringing the total value of prizes over 10 editions to Dh110 million.

Since the initiative was launched, more than 203 million student entries have been recorded across its various editions, representing the cumulative number of participations in the competition.