RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, March 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Ramadan 1, the second edition of the Otr Elkalam TV show kicks off in Saudi Arabia. The show presents international talent competitions in reciting the Holy Quran (the Islamic Holy book) and adhan (raising the call to prayer for Muslims), relying on the vocal abilities of the contestants.

The competition has allocated prizes totaling $3.3 million to the winners, which is the largest prize in the history of international competitions of this kind. The competition is one of the initiatives of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority.

The top twenty of the Quran recitation and adhan tracks share the prizes of the international competition, which is the first of its kind to combine two of the greatest Islamic rituals. The first winner in the Quran recitation track gets $800,000, while the first winner in the adhan track gets $534,000.

The competition started online with 50,000 contestants from 165 countries. It aims to show the vocal talents of reciters and muezzins based on the use of melody rules to convey the emotions and meaning that the reciters and muazzins want to deliver to the audience.

50 contestants are competing in the final qualifiers for the competition, 32 of whom qualify for the next stage. The qualified contestants are from the United States of America, France, Germany, Spain, UAE, Bangladesh, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Britain, Syria, Mauritania, Nigeria, Iran, Turkey, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Lebanon, Libya, Ethiopia and Pakistan. They will continue the competition in the second episode of the show, which is broadcast daily during Ramadan on MBC and the Shahid digital platform.

The contestants are evaluated by a jury specialized in voices and maqamat (music structures) based on good performance, perfect intonation, emotional expression and the deliverance of recitation and adhan with humility to the hearts of the listeners.

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