With its valuable prizes, exceptional jury and the combination of Qur'an recitation and call to prayer, "Scent of Speech", the international Holy Qur'an and call to prayer competition organized by the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), has contributed to making Saudi Arabia a destination for talented people in reciting the Qur'an and raising the call to prayer from all over the world. More than 40,000 contestants from 80 countries participated to reach the final round of the competition in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. To participate in the final round, 36 contestants who won various qualifying rounds, came to the Kingdom, hoping to win one of the prizes, which totaled SR12 million ($3.2 million). The competition, which allowed the participation of contestants from different nationalities, is an international stage for balancing the beauty of the voice and the perfection of pronunciation of the verses of the Holy Qur'an and the sentences of the call to prayer. The international jury plays its role in applying the necessary standards to control the performance of the participants and introducing viewers to the best methods of Qur'an recitation and call to prayer in the best manner. The GEA had made it possible for contestants from all over the world to participate in the competition through easy registration procedures using modern technology that did not require travel. The number of participants in the two branches of the competition reached more than 40,000. Participants passed through four online qualifying rounds before reaching the final stages, which include 36 contestants who compete daily on Otr Elkalam (Scent of Speech) TV show at 5 p.m., Riyadh time, on the Saudia TV channel, in addition to the Shahid platform. — SG
