Tunisian twins win Arab Reading Challenge, donate half of Dh500,000 prize to Palestine
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Twin sisters Baisan and Baylsan Koka from Tunisia have been named joint winners of the Arab Reading Challenge in Dubai, pledging to donate half of their Dh500,000 prize to support people in Palestine.
The 12-year-old sisters were honoured by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, at a ceremony held at the Dubai World Trade Centre after each read 600 books over the past year.
More than 32 million students from 50 countries took part in the ninth edition of the competition, which is the world’s largest Arabic literacy initiative.
Arab Reading Challenge
Launched by Sheikh Mohammed in 2015, the Arab Reading Challenge aims to encourage a love for reading, strengthen Arabic language skills and develop knowledge and character among young Arabs. Organisers say it promotes cross-cultural understanding, tolerance and coexistence, helping students build a better future while highlighting Arabic as a living global language.
In a message on X, Sheikh Mohammed congratulated the winners and praised the scale of participation.
“More than 32 million students from 50 countries around the globe participated in the ninth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge. Warm congratulations to the twin sisters Baisan and Baylsan from Tunisia. Congratulations to the Tunisian people, their leadership and the youth in Tunisia for this remarkable achievement and success”, he wrote.
He also commended the 160,000 supervisors and 132,000 schools involved in the challenge, calling the participants “a generation that brings promise, inspires hope and will carry forward the legacy of civilisation".
Mariam Shamikh, 9, from Mauritania, won Dh100,000 for second place, while Bahrain’s Mohammed Jasim, 11, received Dh70,000 for finishing third.
Egyptian educator Sahar Musbah was awarded Dh300,000 as Outstanding Supervisor. Khorfakkan’s Atika bint Zaid School and Tripoli Al-Haddadin School from Lebanon jointly received the Dh1 million Best School award.
In the Arab pupils living abroad category, Italy-based Jihad Mohammed Murad was named champion, while Iraq’s Maria Hassan Ajeel earned Dh200,000 as the Reading Champion in the People of Determination category.
Baisan and Baylsan, who also play the oud and violin respectively, said they hope their win encourages other young readers. Baisan dreams of becoming a doctor, while Baylsan plans to pursue software engineering.