The 12th edition of the National Reading Prize was held on Sunday at the Ibn Battuta Hall in the International Publishing and Book Fair (SIEL) in Rabat.

The reading Network in Morocco organized this ceremony, bringing together participants from Morocco’s 12 regions to celebrate reading culture among youths. This ceremony was presented by Aicha Chafii, and included speeches from Fouad Chafiqi, Secretary-General of the Higher Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research, Said El Fallaq, President of the Jury, and Abderrahman Ajbari, Head of the Youth Department.

Chafiqi said that the “growing interest in reading in Morocco is a positive sign but also brings new challenges”. He also highlighted the importance of encouraging children’s literature in Morocco, noting that foreign languages continue to dominate this field.

The president of the jury, Said El Fallaq, discussed the procedure for selecting the winners and praised the high level of reading shown by participants. He also emphasized the diversity of languages represented in the competition, describing the prize as “an important opportunity to build a reading Morocco.”

Several young readers from different regions of Morocco were honored during the ceremony, including Yasmine Benslimane, Jaber Touili, Hajar Benouchen, Abdelrazak Mohamed Abdelsamad, Zineb Mansour, Ahmed Aazem, Mohamed Reda Ouaabou, Jannat El Asri, Btina El Kohl, and Ayoub Abdellaoui.

The ceremony ended with Abderrahmane Ajbari, Head of the Youth Department in the Ministry of Youth and Communication, delivering a closing speech, while some of the winners expressed their gratitude and shared their experience as readers and participants.