JEDDAH, 5 October - More than 170 competitors from all over the world will take part in the 23rd International Holy Qur'an Contest in Makkah between Oct. 20-28.
Ministry officials announced that cash prizes totaling SR888,000 ($237,000) await the winners in the five branches of the competition organized annually by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawa and Guidance.
Judges from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Tunisia and Senegal will supervise the event, which is expected to attract both adults and children from 72 countries.
Twenty-one runners will compete in the first branch of the competition, which requires the full memorization of the Holy Qur'an, an interpretation of its meaning and excellent recitation. The first-place winner in this branch will get SR75,000 in cash, the second SR72,000, the third SR69,000, the fourth SR66,000 and the fifth winner SR63,000.
In the second branch, which calls for the full memorization, its recitation and full knowledge of its directives, the first-place winner will get SR55,000, the second SR52,000, the third SR49,000, the fourth SR46,000 and the fifth SR40,000.
Thirty-eight contestants will take part in this branch.
The 36 contestants in the third branch will be required to memorize 20 sections of the Qur'an and recitation them and demonstrate full knowledge of its directives. Prizes include SR40,000 for the first-place winner, SR37,000 for the second, SR34,000 for the third, SR31,000 for the fourth and SR28,000 for the fifth winner.
In the fourth branch there will be 43 contestants who will be required to memorize ten sections of the Qur'anand recite them and demonstrate knowledge of its directives. The first-place winner will get SR25,000, the second SR22,000, the third SR19,000, the fourth SR16,000 and the fifth SR13,000.
The fifth and last branch of the competition will attract 34 contestants who will be required to memorize five sections of the Qur'an together with good recitation and full knowledge of its rules. Prizes in this branch range from SR10,000 for the first-place winner to SR4,000 for the fifth-place winner. Others winners will receive SR8,000, SR6,000 and SR5,000 for the second, third and fourth places.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs allocated consolation prizes for those who do not reach the winning places. Every contestant who makes it to Makkah and sits before the judges will get SR500 in cash in addition to a briefcase containing a cassette recorder, a copy of the Holy Qur'an, a copy of the tafseer (interpretation book), tapes and written material. The participants will also be taken on tours to visit the holy sites in Makkah and Madinah and some cultural and educational institutions.
