Dubai: The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature has announced the return of the Chevron Readers’ Cup for students.

The competition gives students the chance to compete against other schools, in a series of heats, with those with the best knowledge of the selected books going through to the grand finale at the Festival.

The competition is open to full-time students in the GCC (UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) and is held in Arabic and English, said a press release. Registrations close on October 6.

“Our student reading contest really get the participants excited and it is wonderful to see their enjoyment in taking part,” said Ahlam Bolooki, festival director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. “Our aim is to provide a legacy for these children which will give a lifetime love of reading.”

Participants can register online via the Festival website. The final of the competitions will be held at the annual Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, which runs from February 4-9, 2020.

The inter-school Chevron Readers’ Cup competition is divided into two age categories — Primary Schools (up to age 11) and Secondary Schools (ages 12-16).

Teams are provided with books written by participating 2019 Festival authors on which the quiz questions are based. After an elimination round, the top 16 teams advance to the final, battling for first place in a live ‘read-off’ held at the Festival.

Teams can register for the competition online at emirateslitfest.com/competitions/young-peoples-competitions/readers-cup.

Almost 3,000 students entered the Readers’ Cup in 2019.