Doha: The Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) announced that 100 participants have qualified for the final round of the 9th Katara Prize for Quran Recitation.
According to Qatar News Agency, the qualified participants hail from nine Arab countries and eleven non-Arab countries. Among them, 53 participants are from Arab countries, while 47 are from non-Arab countries. The Arab countries represented include Egypt with 18 participants, Morocco with 17, Iraq with nine, and two each from Libya, Lebanon, and Syria. Additionally, one participant each qualified from Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Yemen.
The competition will unfold over 20 televised episodes, where five contestants will compete in each episode, with one advancing to the semi-final round. The semi-finals will comprise 20 contestants, supplemented by five reserve contestants selected from an additional five episodes. In these episodes, five participants will compete, with one advancing to the final round.
In the concluding episode, the winners from first to fifth place will be announced. These episodes will be aired in a special program in collaboration with Qatar TV during the holy month of Ramadan.
The total prize pool for the Katara Prize for Quran Recitation stands at QAR 1.5 million. The first-place winner will receive QAR 500,000, followed by QAR 400,000 for the second-place winner, QAR 300,000 for third place, QAR 200,000 for fourth place, and QAR 100,000 for fifth place.
The prize aims to encourage and discover remarkable talents in Quran recitation, identifying the most beautiful and melodious voices. It seeks to honor excellence and creativity in reciting the Holy Quran while inspiring younger generations to uphold their faith and acknowledge their responsibilities toward their Islamic beliefs and message.