Doha, February 08 (QNA) - The Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) announced that 100 participants have qualified for the final round of 9th Katara Prize for Quran Recitation.

Katara stated that those qualified are from 9 Arab countries and eleven non-Arab countries. 53 participants qualified from Arab countries, while 47 qualified from non-Arab countries, including 18 from Egypt, 17 from Morocco, nine from Iraq, two each from Libya, Lebanon, and Syria, and one each from Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Yemen.

Those qualified will participate in the competition over 20 televised episodes. In each episode, five contestants will compete, with one advancing to the semi-final round. The semi-finals will feature 20 contestants, along with five reserve contestants selected from a further five episodes. In each of these five episodes, five contestants will compete, with one advancing to the final round.

In the final episode, the winners from first to fifth place will be announced, and the episodes will be shown in a special program in cooperation with Qatar TV during the holy month of Ramadan.

The total prize pool for the Katara Prize for Quran Recitation is QAR 1.5 million, with the first-place winner receiving QAR 500,000; the second-place winner, QAR 400,000; the third-place winner, QAR 300,000; the fourth-place winner, QAR 200,000; and the fifth-place winner, QAR 100,000.

The prize aims to encourage and discover exceptional talents in Quran recitation, to identify the most beautiful and melodious voices. It also seeks to honor excellence and creativity in reciting the Holy Quran while inspiring younger generations to remain committed to their faith and recognize their responsibilities toward their Islamic beliefs and message. (QNA)