Katara General Manager Professor Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti with the winners.
Doha, Qatar: The Katara Cultural Village Foundation has announced the top five winners of 9th Katara Prize for Quran Recitation 2026.
The first prize, worth QR500,000, was awarded to reciter Mohammed Al-Wafi Idris Hamad from Libya. the second prize, worth QR400,000, went to reciter Dirgham Jahad Khudair from Iraq while the third prize, worth QR300,000, was awarded to reciter Mahdi Gholamnejad from Iran.
The fourth prize, worth QR200,000, was awarded to reciter Sayed Mustafa Hosseini from Iran, and the fifth prize, worth QR100,000,was awarded to reciter Ahmed Safi Al-Halabi from Syria.
The five winners range in age from their mid-twenties to their late thirties, a group that has historically been the most represented not only in this year’s competition but also in most previous editions of the award. All five have been connected to the Holy Quran since childhood and are all involved in teaching and reciting it in their respective countries. First-place winner, Muhammad Al-Wafi Idris Hamad, has also composed religious songs that glorify the teachings of Islam and encourage young people to adhere to its tolerant principles.
The five winners expressed their pride in receiving the prestigious Quran Recitation Award, which they consider an exceptional award, unparalleled in the Arab and Islamic worlds, due to its transparent judging process, excellent organisation, and significant monetary value.
General Manager of the Katara Cultural Village Foundation Professor Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti crowned the winners in a live broadcast on Qatar TV, the award’s media partner, as part of its coverage of the award’s final rounds. The 25-episode competition typically attracts high viewership from around the world.
Following the crowning ceremony, Al-Sulaiti affirmed that the Katara Quran Recitation Award has become a global event, evidenced by the continuous increase in the number of participants from foreign countries. He noted that the number of entries from 46 foreign countries reached 611 in the current edition of the award, compared to approximately 655 entries from 17 Arab countries.
He expressed his deep gratitude to the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, the official sponsor of the Katara Prize for Quran Recitation, for its continued support, which has enabled the prize to reach its current distinguished international standing.
He also expressed his sincere thanks to Qatar TV, which broadened the reach of the Prize by broadcasting the final rounds of the competition throughout the holy month of Ramadan. The members of the judging panel agreed that the ninth edition was the most distinguished yet, given the close levels of the contestants, which intensified the competition and made the judges’ task more challenging.
The competition’s selection committee chose 100 contestants from 20 countries to participate in the final rounds. These included 9 Arab countries and 11 non-Arab countries. Ultimately, 53 participants from Arab countries and 47 from non-Arab countries qualified.
Katara Cultural Village Foundation launched the prize in March 2017, fulfilling its leading cultural and religious role in the Arab and Islamic world.
The award aims to encourage and discover outstanding talents in reading and reciting the Holy Quran, presenting the world with distinguished reciters who adhere to the rules of tajweed (the science of Quranic recitation), ultimately striving to achieve the most beautiful and melodious voices.
