Doha: The Katara Cultural Village Foundation announced the qualification of 100 contestants for the final round of the ninth edition of the Katara Prize for Recitation of the Holy Quran in 2026. These contestants represent 9 Arab countries and 11 non-Arab countries. 53 participants qualified from Arab countries, while 47 qualified from non-Arab countries. Among the qualifiers from Arab countries, 18 are from Egypt, 17 from Morocco, 9 from Iraq, 2 each from Libya, Lebanon, and Syria, and 1 each from Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Yemen.
The 100 qualifiers will participate in the final rounds over 20 televised episodes. In each episode, five participants compete, with one advancing to the semi-final stage.
The semi-finals will feature 20 contestants, plus five reserve contestants selected through five subsequent episodes. In each of these five episodes, five contestants will compete, with one winner from each episode qualifying for the final stage. The winners, from first to fifth place, will be announced in the final episode. The episodes will be broadcast in a special program in collaboration with Qatar TV during the holy month of Ramadan.
The first-place winner receives QR500,000, the second-place winner receives QR400,000, the third-place winner receives QR300,000, the fourth-place winner receives QR200,000, and the fifth-place winner receives QR100,000.
The total prize money for the Katara Prize for Quran Recitation is QR1.5m. The final judging panel consists of six members, all certified in Quranic recitation and experts in vocal quality. The panel for rules of Tajweed includes Dr. Ahmed Al-Masrawi, Sheikh Mahmoud Al-Akkawi, and Sheikh Abdul Rashid Sufi. The panel for vocal quality (performance) consists of Dr. Bahloul Saeed Abu Arqoub, Assem Al-Bani, and Dr. Muhammad Amin Mashali.
This panel’s task is to evaluate the performance of the one hundred participants during the qualifying rounds and to select the verses that each participant will recite.
The Katara Prize for Quran Recitation, whose episodes will be broadcast during the holy month of Ramadan on Qatar TV, aims to encourage outstanding talents in reciting the Holy Quran, discover, support, and present talented individuals to the world, honor distinguished and creative reciters, and motivate emerging generations to adhere to their religion and understand their duties towards their faith and Islamic message.
