11-year-old Egyptian crowned Arab Reading Challenge Champion

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has crowned Egyptian Mayar Othman as the 10th Arab Reading Challenge Champion.

The 11-year old received an AED 500,000 award after prevailing in the final qualifying round which brought together country-level winners in Dubai.

Palestinian Ghazal Tayyem won second place with an AED 100,000 prize, while Saudi Arabia's Rayan Al Zakeri took third place with an AED 70,000 prize.

Sidi Amer School in Tunisia took the Best School title with an AED 1 million prize, while Syria's Mahmoud Imran won the People of Determination category with an AED 200,000 reward. 

Meanwhile, Jordanian Fakhri Mahmoud Mayyas received the Outstanding Supervisor Award with an AED 300,000 prize. 

This year’s edition of the Arabic Reading Challenge, organised by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Makoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), recorded the largest participation in its history, drawing 40,286,428 students across 60 countries, including 74,062 students in the People of Determination category, and 161,507 supervisors.

Launched by Sheikh Mohammed in 2015, the Arab Reading Challenge is the largest-ever Arab literacy initiative. It aims to promote reading among students across the Arab world and beyond and nurture the love for the language.

With AED 11 million awarded annually to winners and top participants, the total value of prizes awarded over the initiative’s ten editions amounts to AED 110 million.

Mohammed bin Rashid crowns Mayar Othman from Egypt champion of the 10th Arab Reading Challenge, following qualifying rounds involving more than 40 million students from 60 countries in the initiative’s largest edition to date. Jordan’s Fakhri Mayyas wins the ‘Outstanding… pic.twitter.com/kjKrfluHUU

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) October 29, 2026

Mohammed bin Rashid at the awards ceremony of the 10th Arab Reading Challenge: The Arab Reading Challenge is an inspiring cultural movement, in which we placed our trust in our students and in the quest for knowledge, aiming to foster a culturally conscious generation that excels… pic.twitter.com/7FBuhcRL1Z

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) October 29, 2026