Egyptian student Mayar Mohammed Ragab Othman has been crowned champion of the 10th Arab Reading Challenge, taking home a Dh500,000 prize at a ceremony held at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Palestinian contestant Ghazal Taim finished second, winning Dh100,000, while Saudi student Rayan Al Zakri placed third for a Dh70,000 award.
This year's edition drew more than 40 million students from 60 countries, a 24 per cent rise on the previous round, with 138,426 schools and over 161,500 supervisors taking part across the region. The competition also saw participation from 74,062 students from the People of Determination category.
Total prize money awarded this year reached Dh11 million. Alongside the top three, students from Lebanon, Morocco, Libya and Syria were recognised for their achievements, as was Sidi Amer Primary School in Tunisia.
Launched in 2015 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Arab Reading Challenge was designed to instil a love of reading among Arabic-speaking children and teenagers. Over the past decade it has grown into one of the region's largest educational initiatives, reaching tens of millions of students annually and promoting literacy as a core life skill across the Arab world.