The Ministry of Islamic Affairs awarded participants in the 46th King Abdulaziz International Competition for Memorizing, Reciting and Interpreting the Holy Qur’an in Makkah.

Cash prizes of SR5,000 ($1,332) each, totaling more than SR1.5 million (Tk5 crore), were awarded to recognize their efforts and encourage their continued dedication to the Holy Qur’an.

The six-day competition saw two judging panels for male and female contestants listen to the recitations of 334 participants from 133 countries, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The final rounds featured high levels of memorization, mastery, recitation quality and performance, with male and female Qur’an memorizers competing against one another.

The total value of prizes in this edition reached SR10.26 million, with 50 male and female winners — five in each of the competition’s five categories.

Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Asheikh praised the Saudi leadership’s support for the competition and its continued care for the Holy Qur’an and its memorizers.

The latest edition introduced several major changes, most notably the participation of female contestants for the first time in the competition’s history.

The electronic judging system was enhanced to improve accuracy, transparency in score calculation and the efficiency of evaluation procedures. The edition also saw improvements to organizational aspects and listening and judging mechanisms.

After the competition, the ministry organized a cultural tour of the Clock Tower Museum for participants as part of a program introducing them to Makkah’s landmarks.