Summary:
“Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz International Quran Competition reached a historic milestone in 2026, with a record-breaking SAR 10.26 million in prize money shared among 50 winners. The 46th edition brought together 334 Quran reciters from 133 countries and, for the first time, welcomed women contestants with a dedicated competition and ceremony. Held in Makkah from 6 to 19 August 2026, the event highlighted Saudi Arabia’s continued focus on promoting Quran memorization, recitation and understanding on an international stage.”
Saudi Arabia awarded SAR 10.26 million to winners of the King Abdulaziz Quran competition in Makkah, which ran from 6 to 19 August 2026. The prize pool is the largest in the event’s history, shared by 50 winners from a field of 334 reciters, and women took part for the first time.
This was the 46th edition of the King Abdulaziz International Competition for the Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Quran, held under the patronage of King Salman and run by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance. For expat families in the Kingdom, it is the most visible Quran event of the year outside Ramadan in Saudi Arabia, and this year it changed shape in two ways that are worth knowing about.
What the King Abdulaziz Quran competition announced
| Detail | 46th edition, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Total prize money | SAR 10,260,000 |
| Number of winners | 50, up from 12 in earlier editions |
| Contestants | 334 |
| Split | 202 men, 132 women |
| Countries represented | 133 |
| Dates | 6 to 19 August 2026 |
| Men’s finals and closing ceremony | The Grand Mosque, Makkah |
| Women’s contest and ceremony | Hilton Convention Hotel, Makkah |
| Organiser | Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance |
Saudi press coverage dated the edition 23 Safar to 6 Rabi al-Awwal 1448, which is how it appears on official notices. If you need to line Hijri announcements up with your own diary, our Hijri to Gregorian date conversion guide explains the offset.
The ministry did not publish a place-by-place breakdown of the SAR 10.26 million, so the figures circulating for individual first-place prizes come from older editions. Treat any per-winner amount you see quoted for 2026 with caution until the ministry lists it.
The five branches contestants competed in
The competition is not a single contest. It is five separate ones, and the difference matters if you are working out where a child in a mosque halaqa would realistically fit.
| Branch | What it requires |
|---|---|
| One | The full Quran with the seven readings, by the Shatibiyyah route, with recitation and tajweed |
| Two | The full Quran with recitation, tajweed and interpretation of the vocabulary |
| Three | The full Quran with recitation and tajweed |
| Four | Fifteen consecutive juz with recitation and tajweed |
| Five | Five consecutive juz with recitation and tajweed |
Branch five is the entry point. Five consecutive juz is a serious commitment, but it is within reach of a teenager who has been in a halaqa for a few years, which is not true of the seven readings.
A record purse, and a fast climb
The jump this year is large. The 45th edition in August 2025 carried a total of SAR 4 million and drew 179 contestants from 128 countries. Twelve months later the pool is SAR 10.26 million and the field is 334 contestants from 133 countries. That is more than double the money and close to double the participants in a single cycle.
The number of winners moved too. Fifty people are now paid out of the pool rather than the 12 of earlier editions, which spreads the money across more branches and more countries instead of concentrating it at the top.
Women competed for the first time
The 46th edition introduced a women’s section, and it was not a token addition. The 132 female contestants had their own qualifying rounds, their own judging committees and their own closing ceremony at the Hilton Convention Hotel in Makkah, separate from the men’s finals inside the Grand Mosque.
For expat mothers and daughters who have followed this competition on television for years without a route into it, that is the single most significant change in the announcement.
What this means for expats in Saudi Arabia
The international competition is exactly that: international. Contestants come representing their countries, so an Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi expat’s route into it runs through their own country’s nomination process rather than through their Saudi employer or Iqama status.
The Kingdom also runs a separate domestic competition. In February 2026, the 27th edition of the King Salman local competition paid out SAR 7 million, drawing more than 3,600 entrants in the preliminary rounds, of whom 129 reached the final stage in Riyadh. Entry conditions for that one are set by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and published with each edition’s guide. We could not confirm from an official page whether non-Saudi residents may enter the current edition, so ask at your regional Islamic affairs branch or at your local Quran memorization association before assuming a child qualifies.
One practical note if you were in Makkah this month. The Grand Mosque is noticeably busier around the closing ceremony, which is worth factoring in if you were choosing dates for a trip. Our guide to the best times to perform Umrah based on crowd density covers the same problem across the year, the 1448 AH Umrah visa dates page explains the season calendar the competition sits inside, and if you are travelling with family there is a longer list of historical and holy places to visit in Makkah worth building the trip around.
Frequently asked questions
How much prize money did Saudi Arabia award this year?
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs put SAR 10,260,000 into the 46th King Abdulaziz Quran competition, the largest total in the event’s history. It was shared by 50 winners across the competition’s five branches. A place-by-place breakdown of the prize amounts was not published with the announcement.
Can expats living in Saudi Arabia enter the competition?
The international competition is entered by contestants representing their home countries, so the route runs through your own country’s nomination process, not through your Saudi residency. The Kingdom’s separate domestic competition sets its own conditions each year, so check them with your regional Islamic affairs branch.
Where was the competition held?
Preliminary and final rounds for men took place in Makkah, with the finals and the closing ceremony inside the Grand Mosque. The women’s contest and its own closing ceremony were held at the Hilton Convention Hotel in Makkah. The whole event ran from 6 to 19 August 2026.
Was this the first year women could compete?
Yes. The 46th edition introduced a women’s section for the first time in the competition’s roughly four decades. Of the 334 contestants, 132 were women, and they competed in separate rounds with their own judging committees and a separate closing ceremony away from the Grand Mosque finals.
How does this compare with last year?
The 45th edition in August 2025 had a total prize pool of SAR 4 million and 179 contestants from 128 countries. The 46th edition raised that to SAR 10.26 million with 334 contestants from 133 countries, and increased the number of winners from 12 to 50.
