Fez — Moroccan students Hiba Yaymout and Younes El Bekkali have earned top distinctions at the 2025 “Iqra” (“Read”) competition in Saudi Arabia, placing Morocco firmly on the podium of one of the Arab world’s most visible reading contests.
Yaymout won the Reader of the Year – Best Text title, while El Bekkali was named Debater of the Year as part of the Ada (prosecution) team.
Morocco on the Read podium
Yaymout, a high school student from the Skhirat–Temara area, topped the Reader of the Year – Best Text category at the competition’s 10th edition, held at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dammam on December 6.
According to Moroccan and Saudi coverage of the finals, the jury praised the depth of her language and the maturity of her creative vision. Her win comes after several rounds of selection that brought together standout young readers from across the Arab world.
For Morocco, her title confirms the strength of a rising generation that treats reading not as a school chore but as a space for expression and authorship.
Younes El Bekkali and the art of debate
While Yaymout impressed through text, El Bekkali distinguished himself on the debating stage. Competing within the Ada Team, which defends the prosecution side in structured debates, he earned the Debater of the Year award alongside teammates from Tunisia and Algeria.
Reports from the final describe his performance as marked by “intellectual solidity,” strong argumentation, and an ability to manage discussion under pressure — skills that underline the role of Moroccan schools and clubs in training critical thinking and public speaking.
Together, Yaymout and El Bekkali’s results mean Morocco left the event with two of its most emblematic titles: one tied to creative reading and writing, the other to structured debate.
What is the Read competition?
The Read competition was launched in 2013 by Ithra, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, as a flagship initiative to promote reading and literary expression among young people in the Arab world.
The 2025 edition marked the contest’s 10th anniversary, held under the theme “The impact of reading never fades” and culminating in a festival in Dammam. Six finalists from several Arab countries competed for different Reader of the Year distinctions, following a long journey of regional eliminations, workshops, and mentoring.
Participants are asked not only to read, but also to analyze, write, and present, turning the competition into a laboratory for both literary taste and communication skills.
A signal moment for Moroccan reading culture
The double win has been widely described in Moroccan media as a “historic” appearance for the country at the Read finals, with commentators seeing it as proof that a vibrant reading culture is taking root among young people.
In a region where reading competitions and literary challenges are gaining visibility, the success of Yaymout and El Bekkali sends a clear message: Moroccan students are not only consuming stories, they are writing and defending them – on stages that now stretch from local classrooms all the way to Saudi Arabia’s cultural institutions.
