Sheikh Mohammed honours Arab Reading Challenge winners

Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Thursday honored the winners of the 2025 Arab Reading Challenge, Baisan and Baylsan Koka during a grand ceremony celebrating a record number of participants across the Arab world, promoting Arabic literacy and knowledge.

This year’s competition marked a historic milestone, attracting more than 32 million students from 50 countries and 132,000 schools, supported by an impressive 160,000 supervisors dedicated to nurturing a love of reading across the Arab world and beyond.

Celebrating Arab talent and perseverance

From Jordan and Lebanon to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia and the UAE, this year’s finalists embodied the Challenge’s spirit of passion and persistence.

Taking centre stage were twelve-year-old twins Baisan and Baylsan Koka from Tunisia, who claimed the top prize after reading 600 books and dazzling the audience with their eloquence and comprehension. Their victory drew a standing ovation, symbolizing the rise of a new generation of Arab thinkers and dreamers. Baisan enjoys playing the oud and hopes to become a doctor, while Baylsan, who plays the violin, dreams of becoming a robotics engineer.

Maryam Mohamed Shamkh from Mauritania was awarded third place, accepting her accolade with tears of joy that moved the entire audience, while Mohamed Jasmin from Bahrain claimed the second-place prize in a moment of pride and celebration.

Reflecting on the day’s achievements, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid congratulated the winners and all who took part. In a message shared on X, he praised the twin sisters from Tunisia for their remarkable accomplishment, and extended appreciation to the millions of students, supervisors, and schools involved in the Challenge.

He described this new generation as one that “brings hope, and will revive Arab civilization.”

A global movement rooted in language and legacy

Launched in 2015 under the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Arab Reading Challenge began as a call to revive the Arabic language and restore reading to its central place in education and culture. What started as a question “How can we bring back Arabic conversations?” has since evolved into a global movement engaging over 136 million participants to date.

Key note speakers reiterated that the competition’s mission extends beyond language mastery. It is about cultivating thought, creativity, and shared identity among Arab youth. The Challenge is now open to non-Arabic speakers, encouraging learners worldwide to experience the richness of the language.

Technology, books, and the future of reading

The ceremony also spotlighted the future of Arabic reading in a rapidly evolving digital world. In the video introductory of Shreefa Al Mansouri, she highlighted that many areas still struggle with limited access to books.

Responding, Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, shared that 70 per cent of students now have access to both e-books and physical books, and that artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities for faster publishing, illustration, and access to Arabic content.

“We have a chance to take advantage of this moment,” he said, “as AI can help us produce and distribute Arabic books to every child who wants to read.”

A legacy built to last

With the total prize being AED 11 million, the ceremony was not just about awards, it was about legacy. Al Gergawi, emphasized that the goal of the Arab Reading Challenge is to build a culture of curiosity that endures far into the future.

“We want this legacy to last not just for a generation, but for a hundred thousand years,” Al Gergawi said at the press conference.

As applause filled the venue, one message echoed clearly: reading remains the bridge between past and future, language and identity, knowledge and progress, and the Arab Reading Challenge is ensuring that bridge grows stronger with every page turned.