Tunisian twin sisters Bisan and Bilsan Kouka won the Arab Reading Challenge on Thursday, beating 32 million others to claim the crown. The 12-year-old champions received a cash prize of Dh500,000.

Bisan and Bilsan, who have collectively read over 600 books, were honoured by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during the award ceremony held at Dubai World Trade Centre on October 23.

In its ninth edition, the Arab Reading Challenge recorded unprecedented participation, with over 32 million students from 50 countries, representing 132,112 schools and guided by 161,004 supervisors. The total prize pool for this year stands at Dh11 million, making it the largest and most comprehensive knowledge prize globally.

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Bisan, who enjoys playing the oud and dreams of becoming a doctor, and Bilsan, who plays the violin and aspires to be a robotics engineer, emerged as champions from Tunisia's 128,666 participants.

Also claiming top honours was 11-year-old Mohammed Jassim Ibrahim from Bahrain, who secured second place and a Dh100,000 prize.

An avid reader since the age of four, Mohammed has read around 200 books across various literary, scientific, and historical fields.“Since my early childhood, the book has been my first companion, which I cherish,” he said, expressing his happiness with the achievement and congratulating the first-place winners.

Mohammed advanced through multiple rounds to become Bahrain's champion, competing against 137,375 students from 241 schools under the supervision of 489 supervisors.

Third place was awarded to nine-year-old Maryam Shamikh from Mauritania, who won Dh70,000 after reading 100 books.

The young champion, who enjoys reading, studying, and drawing, credited her success to her family's support.“I reached this stage thanks to my mother and father, who provided me with all the reasons and circumstances,” she said.

Maryam, who dreams of becoming a doctor, encouraged other children to embrace reading.“I encourage children because reading develops skills and makes you a better person every day through the knowledge you acquire.”

Maryam competed against 262,662 participants to represent Mauritania at the finals.

For this challenge, students read and summarised 50 books to compete in the qualifying rounds, moving from class and school levels up to the national level.

In addition to the main winners, Jihad Mohammed Murad from Italy received the Community Champion title for Arabic speakers in non-Arab countries, earning Dh100,000.

Maria Hassan Ajeel from Iraq was crowned as the winner in the People of Determination category, receiving Dh200,000.

In the schools category, Atika bint Zaid School from the UAE and Tripoli Al-Haddadin School from Lebanon were jointly awarded the title of Best School, winning Dh1 million.

Sahar Mesbah from Egypt was named the Outstanding Supervisor from a pool of 161,004 supervisors, receiving Dh300,000.

“This is the culmination of a whole year's efforts and every diligent person has a share. We strive not for the prize but to spread a message,” Sahar said.

She added that despite challenges in her governorate, including lack of internet and a severe shortage of paper books, they found creative solutions.“We tried to solve the problems in more than one way and direction.”

During a press conference held after the ceremony, Mohammad Al Gergawi, Secretary-General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), reflected on the initiative's long-term vision and impact.“Our goal is not today, our goal is a hundred years from now - to institutionalise this thought and this movement,” he said.

Al Gergawi revealed impressive results from a scientific study conducted with UNESCO, showing the challenge's transformative impact on reading habits across the Arab world.“More than 80 per cent of participating students confirmed that love of reading and curiosity are the main drivers for participation, not the prizes,” he stated.

The study showed remarkable improvements in reading habits.“The average number of books read by one student annually increased from eight books before participation to more than 40 books,” Al Gergawi said.“The reading rate outside school has increased from less than one hour per week to more than four hours.”

Al Gergawi also announced the launch of a Dh500 million endowment for the Arab Reading Challenge to ensure the initiative's sustainability for future generations.

Launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2015, the Arab Reading Challenge is the world's largest Arabic literacy initiative, promoting reading and literacy across the Arab world and beyond.

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