Officials during the competition.
Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs yesterday launched the qualifying round of the third edition of the international “First Among the First” Quran Competition, the international branch of the Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani Quran Competition, with the participation of 82 contestants from 33 countries across several continents.
The qualifying round began yesterday and will continue until July 30 through video conferencing from the Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani Quran Competition headquarters at the Ministry’s Tower.
The five-day online qualifying stage reflects the competition’s growing international standing and Qatar’s role in supporting global Quranic initiatives, honoring Quran memorizers and encouraging excellence in memorization and recitation.
Participation is restricted to elite Quran memorisers who have won first place in recognized international or semi-international Quran competitions, or first place in the full Quran memorisation category of the Sheikh Jassim competition during the three years preceding the event.
The current participants therefore represent some of the world’s leading Quran memorizers, having previously achieved top honors at major international competitions.
The competition consists of three stages. During the current qualifying round, two specialized judging panels will assess the 82 contestants and select the top 40 for the second stage.
The second stage will be held in person at Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque in Qatar, where the qualifiers will compete publicly before an international judging panel comprising leading scholars specializing in Quranic recitation and Tajweed.
The panel will then select the top 10 contestants for the final stage. The finalists will compete publicly for the “First Among the First” title and a QR1 million prize, the highest-value prize in the history of international Quran competitions.
The competition adopts comprehensive assessment criteria covering not only memorization and recitation of the entire Holy Quran, but also memorization of the meanings of Quranic words from Al-Siraj fi Bayan Gharib Al-Quran.
Contestants are assessed on memorization quality, accuracy of performance, mastery of Tajweed rules and understanding of Quranic vocabulary, emphasising engagement with the Quran through memorization, understanding, recitation and reflection.
The “First Among the First” branch was launched in 2016 as a unique platform bringing together winners of major international Quran competitions. It is held once every three years and forms one of the prominent branches of the Sheikh Jassim Quran Competition.
