What the challenge is
The Arab Reading Challenge is a reading competition run from Dubai across the Arab world, and its scale is its most striking feature. In its third edition more than 10.5 million students from 44 countries took part and read over 250 million books between them.
The judging is not a matter of counting pages. Amjoun was selected on her comprehension of 50 books she had read, her ability to communicate in Arabic, her critical and creative thinking, and her general knowledge. That is an oral examination conducted in front of judges, which is why the final is staged as a broadcast event rather than a results announcement.
The moment on stage
What made the 2018 final memorable was not the result but the thirty seconds after it. Amjoun, nine, broke down in tears when she was declared champion. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, stepped forward and wiped her tears away using his ghutra, the headwear worn with Gulf national dress, before the crowd applauded and he gave her the trophy.
The image travelled across the Arab world. For a competition whose purpose is to make reading a mass public event rather than a private school exercise, it was the single most effective piece of publicity the challenge has produced.
What she said
Amjoun's own account of her preparation is precise and unromantic. “I have been preparing for the challenge by reading, summarising and analysing books since 2017,” she said, describing a year of structured work rather than a gift.
Her explanation of why it matters was less measured and is the line most quoted from her. “Reading will save nations drowning in illiteracy and poverty,” she said. “Reading is a hospital to the mind.” Both of her parents are teachers who read to her as a child, and her stated ambition is to become an architect, like the Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid.
What is documented, and what is not
Firm: her age, nine; her country, Morocco; the third edition of the Arab Reading Challenge and its Dh500,000 prize; the scale of the field, more than 10.5 million students from 44 countries and more than 250 million books; the judging criteria, including comprehension of 50 books; the scene on stage with Sheikh Mohammed; her two quotations; her parents' profession; and her ambition to become an architect.
Not documented in these sources: her exact date of birth, so the birth year here is derived from her reported age; her home town in Morocco; her school; her parents' names; and anything about her since 2018. She was a child when this happened and is a young adult now, and nothing in the material used here follows her.
Why the prize is that large
Dh500,000, roughly the price of a flat, is an extraordinary sum to hand a nine-year-old for reading, and the size is the point. The challenge was created to change the status of reading in Arabic among school-age children, and a prize on that scale converts reading from a school obligation into a public contest with a visible winner.
Whether that works is a separate question from whether it is memorable. What can be said from the record is that a girl from Morocco, prepared by two teacher parents and a year of summarising and analysing fifty books, out-argued a field drawn from 44 countries, and that the sentence she produced about it, reading is a hospital to the mind, has outlived the coverage of the prize itself.
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Won the third Arab Reading Challenge in Dubai at nine, taking Dh500,000
- Field of more than 10.5 million students from 44 countries, reading over 250 million books
- Judged on comprehension of 50 books, Arabic communication, critical and creative thinking and general knowledge
- Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum wiped her tears with his ghutra on stage before presenting the trophy
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- Her date of birth is not published; the birth year here is inferred
- Her home town in Morocco, her school and her parents' names are not stated
- Nothing documents her studies or life after 2018
- Whether she has pursued architecture is unknown in this material
Questions people ask about Mariam Amjoun
How old is Mariam Amjoun?
She was nine when she won in October 2018. No source used here gives her date of birth, so the birth year on this page is approximate.
What did Mariam Amjoun win?
The third Arab Reading Challenge, held in Dubai, and its Dh500,000 prize.
How many students competed?
More than 10.5 million, from 44 countries, reading over 250 million books between them.
How was the winner chosen?
On comprehension of 50 books read, ability to communicate in Arabic, critical and creative thinking, and general knowledge.
What happened on stage?
She broke down in tears when declared champion, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum wiped them away with his ghutra before presenting the trophy.
What does she want to be?
An architect, like the Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid.
Where is Mariam Amjoun now?
Not documented. Neither source used here follows her beyond 2018.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Mariam’s story?
How much did Mariam Amjoun win?
How many books did the judges test her comprehension of?
Which architect does she name as her model?
Sources
- Girl, 9, wins Arab Reading Challenge in Dubai, bags Dh500,000 — Gulf News
- Sheikh Mohammed's grand gesture as reading champ breaks down on stage — Khaleej Times, 2018-10-30
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
Discover More Child Prodigies
50+ stories of contemporary young geniuses changing chess, music, science, and art.
Explore All Prodigies →
