A title that could not be split
The competition's structure ends with a single champion, and in 2023 the judging did not produce one. Al Berri and Al Mansoori were declared joint winners, each receiving Dhs500,000 — a result that says more about the closeness of the final than any score could.
Second place was also shared, between Naema Jehad Rajoub of Syria and Mohammad Walid Abdullatif of Egypt, who received Dhs100,000 each. Four names, two countries apiece, at the top of a competition that spans the Arabic-speaking world and its diaspora.
What the field looked like
The seventh edition drew 24.8 million students from 46 countries and 188,000 schools, with about 150,000 educators supervising them. Those figures place it among the largest education competitions run anywhere.
For a Qatari student, the route to the final runs through school and national rounds before an international stage, which means the title is won against millions of entrants rather than a national cohort. That scale is the whole argument for the prize's size.
The ceremony and the other prizes
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented the awards at Dubai Opera on 31 October 2023, summarising the competition's premise in a sentence: “Future welcomes those armed with knowledge. It resides inside of books. Those who read today will get to write chapters in the book of tomorrow.”
The evening also honoured King Abdullah II School for Excellence in Jordan as best school, with Dhs1 million; Samaher Al Sawaei of Jordan as outstanding supervisor, with Dhs300,000; and Yousuf Bin Dawoud of Tunisia, champion of the People of Determination category, with Dhs200,000. The prize money distributed in one evening exceeds that of most literary awards anywhere.
What is documented — and what is not
Firm: the joint championship and its date, the venue, the Dhs500,000 prize, his full name as published, his co-champion, the runners-up and the scale of the seventh edition.
Open: the report gives no age, no school, no city and no account of the books he read or the examination he sat. It carries no quotation from him. English-language coverage of the 2023 result is thin, and this page rests on one contemporaneous report rather than a body of reporting.
Why a reading contest is built this way
The Arab Reading Challenge is constructed on a simple mechanism: mass participation at school level, progressive elimination, and prize money large enough to make reading a public event rather than a private habit. The 2023 numbers show how far that mechanism reaches — 24.8 million students is participation on a scale usually reserved for examinations, not competitions.
The consequence for a young champion is unusual visibility: a national audience, a head-of-state presentation and a sum of money that changes a family's calculations. What follows that night, for this champion, is not recorded in the sources gathered here, and this page leaves it blank rather than guessing.
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sham Al Bakour | Syria | Winning the Arab Reading Challenge in Dubai at seven | Age 0 |
| Mariam Amjoun | Morocco | Ten and a half million students read; a nine-year-old from Morocco read be | Age 8 |
| Abdullah Abu Khalaf | Jordan | Twenty-one million students in 52 countries, and a Jordanian teenager won | Age 14 |
| Abdullah Al Berri | Qatar | Qatar's champion shared the largest reading prize in the Arab world with a | — |
| Amnah Al Mansoori | United Arab Emirates | Chosen from 24.8 million students in 46 countries, she took the title join | — |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Named joint champion of the seventh Arab Reading Challenge on 31 October 2023
- Received Dhs500,000, sharing the title with the UAE's Amnah Al Mansoori
- Awards presented at Dubai Opera by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
- The edition drew 24.8 million students from 46 countries
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- No age, school or city given in this source
- No record of the books he read or how the final was judged
- No quotations from him; this page rests on a single contemporaneous report
Questions people ask about Abdullah Al Berri
Who is Abdullah Al Berri?
A Qatari student named joint champion of the Arab Reading Challenge in 2023, alongside Amnah Al Mansoori of the United Arab Emirates.
How much did he win?
Dhs500,000, matching the amount awarded to his co-champion.
How many students competed?
24.8 million, from 46 countries and 188,000 schools.
How old is Abdullah Al Berri?
The report used here does not give his age or school year.
Where was the award presented?
At Dubai Opera on 31 October 2023, by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Why were there two champions?
The 2023 title was declared jointly. The report states the shared result without publishing the judging scores behind it.
What is the Arab Reading Challenge?
A mass reading competition that runs through schools across the Arabic-speaking world, ending in a final in Dubai with substantial prize money.
Is Abdullah Al Berri on Wikipedia?
No article was found for him. English-language coverage of his win is limited.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Abdullah’s story?
Which country does Abdullah Al Berri represent?
Who did he share the 2023 title with?
Where was the ceremony held?
Sources
- Mohammed honours Qatar's Abdullah and UAE's Amnah as joint Arab Reading Champions 2023 — Gulf Today, 2023-10-31
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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