Afghan reciter takes home half a million riyal Katara Quran prize in Qatar

The Katara Prize for Quran Recitation aims to honour notable and creative reciters.

An Afghan reciter was named as the winner of this year’s annual Katara Prize for Quran Recitation 2023, the cultural village foundation announced.

Muhammad Hassan Hassan Zadeh of Afghanistan took home the top prize, worth QAR 500,000 for his talents at the competition, which boasts the largest representation of Arab and Islamic nations.

In second place, Iraqi reciter Ahmed Jamal Al Mansrawi was awarded QAR 300,000, while Abdul Razeq Ashraf Salah Al Shahawy of Egypt came in third place with a QAR 100,000 prize.

Hassanzadeh said the this was his first time competing in an international competition, expressing gratitude for receiving the renowned prize.

Meanwhile, second-place finalist Mansrawi said everyone who advanced to the competition’s final round was a winner and commended organisers for the event which showcased world-class talent and was thus extremely challenging.

The third-place finisher, Al Shahawy expressed his gratitude to those in charge of the award for providing a jury whose members have experience judging international recitation competitions.

Qatar supports students in Afghanistan with 60 tonnes of educational material

The sixth edition of the competition, according to the judges, is the most notable because of the diversity of the nations that competed – for the first time, it included every Arab and Islamic nation.

Arbitrators on the Katara Award Jury Committee for Quran recitation are recognised for their skill and knowledge in the areas of intonation and voice quality.

The two sheikhs with the highest certificates in the ten readings are Sheikh Abd Al Rashid Sufi and Sheikh Mahmoud Al Akkawi.

Three additional members of the Committee are experts in sounds and shrines, including Professor Muhammad Assem Al Bunni, who is a master of audio engineering and an international arbitrator in competitions for the Quran and religious chanting, alongside expert and professor of Maqamat science, Sheikh Muhammad Amin Mashali, who is certified in the ten recitations and holds several international arbitration positions.