A competition in Saudi Arabia rewards beautiful voices without instrumental accompaniment with prizes exceeding $3.2 million

- 40,000 contestants from 80 countries participate

- The largest financial prize in the history of talent competitions of this kind in the world,especially competitions of a religious nature

JEDDAH,Saudi Arabia,April8,2022 -- A unique international competition is being held in Saudi Arabia these days,targeting talented people with beautiful voices without the accompaniment of musical instruments. More than 40,000 people from 80 countries participated in the competition by sending recordings of their voices reciting verses of the Holy Quran (the holy book in Islam) or delivering the Islamic call to prayer (Adhan),after the entertainment authority in Saudi Arabia launched this competition under the name Scent of Speech (Otr Elkalam).

A snapshot showing one of the participants in the competition for the most beautiful voice,which is shown on the official Saudi television

The entertainment authority in Saudi Arabia has allocated the largest financial prize in the history of talent competitions of this kind in the world,especially competitions of a religious nature,with a value of $3.2 million.

The first-place winner with the most beautiful voice in reciting the Holy Quran receives $1.3 million,while the first-place winner in delivering the call to prayer receives $533,000. The remaining prize money is divided among six other contestants.

The competition combines good performance and the laws of melody,targeting the beauty of voice without the accompaniment of music. The competition is divided into two tracks,the first of which is reciting the Holy Quran with a variety of vocal patterns,and the second is the Islamic call to prayer (Adhan).

More than 40,000 contestants from 80 countries around the world participated in this rare competition,which is broadcast on official state TV during the month of Ramadan. After several qualifiers and stages,36 candidates reached the finals. The finalists come from different countries,including Britain,Canada,Iraq,Egypt,Algeria,Iran,Malaysia,Indonesia and Turkey. At this stage,the competition is limited to the finalists,who include 18 contestants in the recitation of the Holy Quran track and 18 contestants in the call to prayer track.

The finalists are currently competing in the qualifiers in the Scent of Speech (Otr Elkalam) TV show,during which their performance is evaluated by a panel of 12 international judges,who then announce the final winners and their prizes.