An 11-year-old Egyptian girl has won Dh500,000 at the Arab Reading Challenge in Dubai after reading more than 60 books. Mayar Mohammed says she wants to use the money to help build a library at her school. With more than 40 million students participating in this year's competition, her winning idea is to help other children discover books too.

The details

Mayar Mohammed, an 11-year-old student from Egypt, has won the 2026 Arab Reading Challenge and a Dh500,000 prize at a ceremony in Dubai.

Mayar read more than 60 books during the competition and said she hoped to use her winnings to help establish a library at her school.

The initiative was launched in 2015 to encourage Arabic reading, strengthen language skills and develop a lasting interest in books among young people.

This year's competition attracted more than 40 million students from 60 countries, with participation spanning over 138,000 schools.

Other winners recognised at the ceremony included students from Palestine and Saudi Arabia, along with awards for schools, supervisors and People of Determination.

Mayar's achievement stands out not only for the number of books she read, but for her plans to invest the prize in opportunities for other children.

Her story connects an international education initiative hosted in Dubai with a simple community ambition: making reading more accessible to the next generation.