Overview
The competition
The Annual Australian Qur'an Competition is a national, scholar-guided platform celebrating excellence in memorisation and recitation.
It is the only event of its kind in Australia — bringing together participants, families and communities in a shared commitment to honouring the Qur'an.
How it works
Participants compete across memorisation categories and progress through a structured series of stages — from local and state qualifiers through to the national finals on 18 September 2026.
Judging is conducted by qualified scholars and recognised huffadh, using consistent criteria across all stages.
The competition is designed to uphold both excellence and adab at every level.
The three stages
Local or state qualifiers
Participants compete within their city or state. Recitations are between three and five minutes, assessed against standardised judging criteria.
Top performers progress to the national semi-finals.
National semi-finals
Qualified participants come together at the national level, with a hybrid format available where needed.
Recitations increase in length and complexity, incorporating both prepared and randomly selected passages.
Tajwīd and fluency assessment becomes more rigorous at this stage.
National finals
The national finals take place before a live audience on 18 September 2026.
A professional judging panel — comprising both local and international scholars — assesses finalists in the final stage of the competition.
Who can compete
Participants compete across three memorisation categories, ensuring both accessibility and high standards.
Each category requires full memorisation of the selected portion and the ability to recite from any point within that range.