With the participation of around 900 contestants, the programme aims to boost Egypt’s cultural leadership and achieve knowledge sustainability in alignment with Egypt’s Vision 2030.

“This year, the programme witnessed high turnout among the participating students across all educational stages,” Deputy Minister of Education for Teachers' Affairs Reda Hegazy said. “The preliminary qualifiers saw intense competitions among students from across the country, which aims to support the ministry’s plan that comes in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030.”

Meanwhile, Al-Azhar’s Deputy Sheikh Mohamed El-Doweiny pointed out that Al-Azhar students’ participation in this contest, especially this year, reflects their passion for reading and high sense of responsibility to pass on knowledge to the younger generations and to the community. 

Hisham El-Sangary, director of educational projects at the Scientific Research Foundation, Egypt, and North Africa Branch, hailed the efforts exerted since the inception of the project in 2020 to support national values to boost the national identity. 

“The institution managed to achieve great accomplishments through collaboration with partners in the educational scene this year, which adds to last year’s achievements,” he added.

The number of final round candidates of the “Intellectual Student” pillar at the Ministry of Education and Al-Azhar are 648 students, where only 20 candidates will be nominated for winning.

The total number of candidates of the “Diamond Reader” pillar is107 students from various universities and institutes. These have reached the final qualifications, and only 10 of them will be shortlisted. 

Moreover, the “Intellectual Teacher” pillar has witnessed more comprehensive competitions, with 108 teachers from various fields reaching the final round. These candidates will be screened in order to qualify for the top 10. Concerning the fourth pillar, "Enlightening Institutions," 10 institutions have been nominated for the final rounds from among the dozens of community institutions participating in this year's competition, and only five of them will be picked as winners.

The total financial value of the prize is estimated at EGP 20 million, to be distributed among the four pillars of the competition; where the winners of the first pillar receive prizes starting from EGP 50,000 up to EGP 1 million in addition to the Intellectual Student Cup. The winners of the second pillar receive awards starting from EGP 100,000 up to EGP 1 million in addition to the Intellectual Teacher Cup. The award of the third pillar starts at EGP 100,000 reaching up to EGP 1 million and the Diamond Reader's Cup. "Enlightening Institutions" Awards start from EGP 100,000 reaching up to EGP 1 million in addition to the Enlightening Institution title for the first place winner.

The National Reading Programme kicked off in March 2020 as a 10-year sustainable project that aims to encourage Egyptian children and youth to embrace functional reading and make reading a priority for all social strata.