Women Compete for First Time in Qur'an Contest

Female contestants took part for the first time in the King Abdulaziz International Competition for the Memorization, Recitation, and Interpretation of the Holy Qur'an, marking a historic moment in the event's 46th edition held in 2026.

A dedicated women's division was officially added this year by royal approval, ending the competition's long-standing status as a male-only event. In the 46th edition, 132 female participants competed alongside 202 male participants, drawn from a total of 133 countries.

Female contestants compete in their own independent rounds and finals held at the Hilton Makkah Convention Hotel in Makkah, while the male finals and the main closing ceremony take place at the Grand Mosque. The honoring ceremony for female finalists is held separately at the Hilton Convention Hotel, headed by a member of the royal family.

The total prize pool for participants in the 46th edition stands at SR 1.5 million, with detailed distribution by rank and category published for each edition. The competition is organized and administered by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance through its dedicated Holy Qur'an competitions portal, which handles applications, screening, judges' data, scoring, daily contestant lists, winners' lists, certificates, and accommodation for international participants.

Nomination and registration are generally coordinated through the ministry and official religious bodies in each participating country, with Saudi participants advancing from ministry-approved national-level competitions. The addition of a women's division opens the door for female memorizers of the Qur'an across the Kingdom and worldwide to compete at the highest international level.

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