Tunisian twin sisters Bissan and Bilsan Kouka with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the Arab Reading Challenge at Dubai World Trade Center on October 23, 2025. ARCHIVE

Twelve-year-old Tunisian twins Bissan and Bilsan Kouka have been crowned champions of the 2025 Arab Reading Challenge in Dubai, taking home the Dh500,000 grand prize. The sisters were honored by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during a glittering ceremony at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Thursday (October 23). Sheikh Mohammed also honored Sahar Mesbah from Egypt, who received the Outstanding Supervisor Award, while other winners included students and schools from across the Arab world. Now in its ninth edition, the Arab Reading Challenge—an initiative of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation (MBRGI)—recorded unprecedented participation from 32 million students across 50 countries. Participants read and summarized 50 books each to qualify.

Other young champions celebrated

The event also honored 11-year-old Mohammed Jassim Ibrahim from Bahrain, who won second place and Dh100,000 after reading 200 books. “Since my early childhood, the book has been my first companion,” he said. Nine-year-old Maryam Shamikh from Mauritania claimed third place and Dh70,000, saying, “I reached this stage thanks to my mother and father, who provided me with all the reasons and circumstances.” Other winners included Jihad Mohammed Murad from Italy (Community Champion, Dh100,000), Maria Hassan Ajeel from Iraq (People of Determination category, Dh200,000), and Atika bint Zaid School from the UAE and Tripoli Al-Haddadin School from Lebanon (joint Outstanding School winners, Dh1 million). The Outstanding Supervisor Award went to Sahar Mesbah from Egypt, who received Dh300,000. “This is the culmination of a whole year’s efforts,” she said. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Mohammad Al Gergawi, Secretary-General of MBRGI, said: “Our goal is not today, our goal is a hundred years from now—to institutionalize this thought and this movement.” He also revealed that more than 80 percent of students joined the challenge for the love of reading, not prizes. A UNESCO-backed study found that participants’ annual reading rate increased from 8 to over 40 books, and reading time rose from less than one hour to four hours per week. To sustain the initiative, a Dh500 million endowment fund was launched for future generations. ICA/Expat Media
For all the latest news from the UAE and the world, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube page