Chairman of the Allegiance Committee Prince Mishaal, who is also the chairman of the Supreme Committee for Muzayin Al-Ibl, will announce the final winner at the concluding function in January.

Prince Abdullah bin Saad bin Jalawi is the chairman of the judges’ panel.

Contests in the other categories will continue on Saturday. The contests are held for individual and group trophies.  In the group contests, camels should be presented in groups of 30, 50, 80 or 100.

Prize camels from the Kingdom and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries participate in the event. The winning camels will receive huge cash prizes.

Only a connoisseur can detect beauty in a camel. An animal with a long flank is considered attractive; and the longer the flank the more pretty the animal is considered.

The shape of the hump is another source of beauty. A protruded shank adds to the animal’s beauty. The neck should be straight and slender without any loose flesh or freckles.

The distance between the hind legs and the fore legs is another factor that is considered in the selection of the winner. The size of the head and shape of the ears too can provide the edge in a close contest. Above all, the winning camels should be of excellent pedigree.

After the lengthy elimination process, 10 camels and groups reach the final stage in which the best individual camel and group are selected.

A prize camel is bought at prices starting from SR4 million or SR5 million.

The event is also an occasion for other cultural activities including poetry.

The pageant started for the first time about 11 years ago in Umm Riqaiba, a village nestled between the deserts of Al-Dahna and the plains of Al-Majma.

Tribal elders, nobles and commoners line up on both sides of the 14-km sandy course to watch rare breeds of camels partake in this unique beauty pageant.

Qassim studio of the Saudi television is covering the event. Minister of Culture and Information Abdul Aziz Khoja has ordered excellent coverage of the event.