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How UAE Quran award participants recite entire holy book in 5 days
The complete recitation, known as a khatmah, is followed by a public performance round, where the leading contestants are judged on their recitation, mastery and overall performance
- PUBLISHED: Thu 6 Aug 2026, 4:38 PM UPDATED: Thu 6 Aug 2026, 4:39 PM
Contestants in the UAE's International Holy Quran Award won't win by answering a handful of questions or reciting a few selected verses. Instead, they will spend up to five intensive days reciting the entire Holy Quran from memory before qualified examiners, long before they appear in front of a live audience.
"We don't want to hear them through a question-and-answer format," Mubarak Al Hosani, managing director of the award, told Khaleej Times. "We want to hear the entire Quran."
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The complete recitation, known as a khatmah, is followed by a public performance round, where the leading contestants are judged on their recitation, mastery and overall performance before the winners are announced.
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"It's impossible for the public to sit through an entire khatmah," Al Hosani said. "That's why the complete recitation takes place beforehand, while the final performance round is held before the audience."
The behind-the-scenes process is one of several features that distinguish the award, now in its second international edition under the patronage of President Sheikh Mohamed. Unlike many international Quran competitions that are open to broad participation, the UAE award reserves its international category for competitors who have already proved themselves on the world stage.
"We don't open it to everyone," Al Hosani said. "We invite only those who have won first place in recognised international Quran competitions during the past three years." Organisers review eligible candidates before selecting the finalists. This year, 14 competitors were shortlisted after two participants tied during the selection process.
The aim, Al Hosani said, is to create a competition between champions while giving Emirati reciters the opportunity to measure themselves against the world's best.
"Today we bring those international champions here and let our local participants compete alongside them. That's how we raise the standard of our own competitors and prepare them for international competitions."
Successful contestants who complete the full recitation will also receive an ijazah - an authenticated certification with a continuous chain of transmission tracing the recitation back to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
Expanding categories
The award has also expanded this year, growing from five competitive categories to 10 branches, four of which are currently open for local registration until the end of August. Among the new additions is a research category on the values and civilisation of the Holy Quran, introduced to coincide with the UAE's Year of Community.
Participants will submit age-appropriate research exploring Quranic values, particularly those relating to family, as well as the history, calligraphy and preservation of the Holy Quran. Entries will be assessed by specialists from UAE universities.
Another priority this year is encouraging greater participation by Emirati youth and women. Al Hosani said female participants have consistently excelled in Quran memorisation and the various canonical methods of recitation, and deserve greater representation on the international stage.
"Why shouldn't they compete internationally?" he said. International female contestants from the United States and Indonesia are expected to participate this year, alongside local competitors.
He also pointed to the long tradition of women teaching the Quran in the UAE. "In the past, many people learned from the mutawwa'ah," he said, referring to the women who traditionally taught children the Holy Quran. "Women have always played an important role in preserving and teaching the Quran."
Beyond the competition itself, organisers hope the award will help produce a new generation of distinguished Emirati reciters who can contribute to Quran memorisation centres, local radio broadcasts and, where eligible, serve as imams.
"We want these talents to become recognised voices in the UAE," Al Hosani said. "The competition is not the end of the journey; it's the beginning."
