11-year-old Egyptian crowned Arab Reading 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 Arab Reading champion.

The 11-year old received an AED 500,000 award for winning the tenth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge.

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.