CAIRO — Eleven-year-old Egyptian student Mayar Mohammed Ragab Othman has won the 10th Arab Reading Challenge in Dubai, securing the AED 500,000 ($136,000) top prize in a competition that attracted more than 40 million students from 60 countries.
She was crowned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during a ceremony at Dubai World Trade Centre on October 29, 2026.
Mayar’s victory marked a defining moment for the young student from Egypt’s Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, whose emotional response to the announcement drew attention alongside her achievement.
Moments after being named the winner, she prostrated herself in gratitude to God, before breaking into tears as she received her award.
In a touching gesture that became one of the ceremony’s most memorable moments, Sheikh Mohammed kissed Mayar on the head, embraced her and removed the badge he was wearing to pin it onto her himself. The personal gesture of encouragement added a special significance to the young Egyptian student’s achievement.
Her message following the victory captured the significance she attaches to books:
“I realised that books were not just paper, but wings with which we soar to build our society and our nation.”
From Kafr El-Sheikh to Dubai
Mayar attends Al-Shaheed Hamdy Sharaby Primary School in Kafr El-Sheikh and had previously won first place nationally in individual poetry recitation.
Her success highlights how young talent can emerge beyond major cities and prominent educational institutions when children receive opportunities to develop their reading and communication skills.
Family support has also been central to her journey. Her mother accompanied her on the return trip to Egypt, while her father travelled back from Kuwait to welcome her and celebrate the achievement.
An Annual Challenge with Record Participation
The Arab Reading Challenge is an annual educational competition launched in the 2015–2016 academic year under the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. It encourages students to read, summarise and understand books, developing their knowledge, critical thinking and communication skills.
The competition’s 10th edition attracted 40,286,428 students from 60 countries, representing 138,426 schools and supported by 161,507 supervisors.
Participation increased by 24% compared with the previous edition, reflecting the continued expansion of one of the Arab world’s largest educational reading initiatives.
The figures represent participation across the competition’s various stages, rather than the number of students competing directly in the final round.
Beyond the prize, Mayar’s achievement highlights the importance of encouraging reading from an early age and the contribution of schools and families to developing confidence, curiosity and critical thinking.
As digital platforms increasingly shape how children discover and consume information, her success offers a reminder that sustained engagement with books remains an important foundation for learning and independent thought.
For Mayar, the award recognises an exceptional achievement at just 11 years old. Its wider significance lies in the example it offers to other young readers across Egypt and the Arab world: that opportunities for excellence can begin in an ordinary classroom and grow through access to books, encouragement and determination.
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