Dubai, UAE, 02 February 2024: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature kicked off the first day of their 2024 edition with a ceremony to honour the winners of the Chevron Readers’ Cup. The award ceremony followed an extremely competitive final round which was held the same morning.  The reading competition pitches student teams against each other in an assessment of questions from a list of books by a variety of international authors. 

 

The winning team displaying comprehension and understanding of the book is crowned as the winner. The competition which has shown growth year-on-year had 5,000+ students entered the 2023-2024 edition of the reading quiz from across UAE and from KSA, Oman and Qatar. 80 teams made it to the final round, which were held in Arabic and English in person in two age groups – Primary and Secondary. The winners were awarded trophies for their school, Magrudy’s book vouchers worth AED 1000 and a medal for each of the four participating team members. Second and third-place teams also received vouchers and medals.  

This was the twelfth year that Chevron has sponsored the Readers’ Cup which students and teachers alike look forward to. The prizes were presented by Muhammad Al Sadek, Commercial & Government Relations Manager, Chevron; Renu Sharma, General Manager & Country Chair, UAE and Dania Droubi, Chief Operating Officer, Emirates Literature Foundation.

 

Renu Sharma, “General Manager - Middle East JVs and Aviation and UAE Country Chair” said: “Our long-term sponsorship of this competition is our commitment to the future generations. Human ingenuity and innovation are key to solving the world’s challenges. By encouraging people from a young age to seek knowledge and to hone their understanding and learn problem-solving techniques, we can empower them to build a better world for tomorrow. It is through skill-building initiatives like the Chevron Readers’ Cup that we can enable sustainable human progress.”

 

Primary Age Group:

1. Pristine Primary Bookworm, Pristine Private School, Dubai.

2. Booklovers R Us, Ambassador School, Mankhool, Dubai.

3. Reading Rescuers, DUNEHA Homeschoolers, Remraam, Dubai

Secondary Age Group

1. Literary Legends, GEMS Our Own English High School, Dubai

2. Fictional Warriors, GEMS United Indian School, Abu Dhabi 

3. The Prose, St. Mary's Catholic High School, Dubai 

 

Primary Age Group:

1. Pirates of Novels, Al Rashid Al Saleh Private School, Dubai

2. Moonlight, St. Mary's Catholic High School, Oud Maitha, Dubai

3. The Challenge, Dubai National School, Al Tawar, Dubai 

 

Secondary Age Group:

1. The Competition of Generations, Dar Al Uloom Private School, Falaj Hazza', Abu Dhabi

2. The Hope Makers, National Charity School for girls, Al Garhoud, Dubai 

3. We Are Not The Only Ones But We Are Special, Al Maali School, Abu Dhabi

The EmiratesLitFest is a big celebration of books and the stories that live within them. But it's also a platform for important conversations, the kind that go on to impact and shape the world of tomorrow. The main programme includes sessions for people of all ages. The Festival has gathered some of the finest children’s storytellers and illustrators from across the UAE and world for an action-packed weekend perfect for tiny bookworms. From dragons and superheroes to teen spies and poetry, there’s something for every little reader at LitFest Families.

Other initiatives celebrated at the Festival includes the Voices of Future Generations, which launches its forth anthology of winning stories; the School Librarian of the Year; OUP Story Writing Competition; RGS Guildford Dubai Children’s Letter Writing Competition; ENBD Poetry For All; Al Futtaim Digital Storytelling Competition; and the announcement of the third cohort for the First Chapter: ELF Seddiqi Writers’ Fellowship.   

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature Festival is held with Founding Partners Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated authority for heritage, arts, and culture. It is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai.