{
  "id": 1705783,
  "title": "Female contestants make historic debut at King Abdulaziz International Qur’an Competition",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/female-contestants-make-historic-debut-at-king-abdulaziz",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T12:07:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Saudi Gazette",
    "slug": "saudi-gazette",
    "url": "https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/663842/saudi-arabia/female-contestants-make-historic-debut-at-king-abdulaziz-international-quran-competition"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "MAKKAH — For the first time in its history, female contestants are taking part in the King Abdulaziz International Competition for the Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Qur'an. The winners of this year's 46th edition are set to be honored in Makkah on Wednesday. Crown Prince Abdul Rahman bin Abdulaziz, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, will award the male winners at the Grand Mosque, while Princess Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain, the Queen consort, will recognize the female winners at the Hilton Convention Hotel. The competition, organized by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, saw 334 male and female competitors from 133 countries battle it out in the final rounds at the Grand Mosque. Five categories — memorization of the entire Qur'an with recitation, tajweed and qira'at; memorization of the entire Qur'an with recitation, tajweed and interpretation; memorization of 20, 15 and five consecutive juz' with recitation and tajweed — were competed for. This year, 50 winners have been selected, with five male and five female winners in each category. The competition's total prize money amounts to SR10.26 million, highlighting its global significance in promoting the Holy Qur'an and its followers.",
  "summary": "MAKKAH — Female contestants are participating in the King Abdulaziz International Competition for the Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Qur’an for the first time in its history, as the winners of its 46th edition prepare to be honored in Makkah on Wednesday. Held under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, the awards ceremony will see Deputy…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}