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Thursday, Oct 23, 2025

Five reasons why Otr Elkalam became one of most important vocal performances globally

Five reasons why Otr Elkalam became one of most important vocal performances globally

A unique global competition was held in Saudi Arabia in Ramadan, targeting beautiful voices without the accompaniment of musical instruments in reciting the Holy Qur’an (the holy book of Muslims) and delivering the call to prayer (adhan).
The General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia launched this international Holy Qur'an recitation and call to prayer competition under the name Otr Elkalam (Scent of Speech).

Five reasons make the competition one of the most important vocal performance contests in the world, which are:

The largest international prize: The cash prize presented in the competition is the largest in the history of international talent competitions, with an estimated value of $3.2 million.

The number of participants: The number of participants in the competition reached more than 40,000 from 80 countries around the world.

The first competition of its kind: It is the first competition in the world to test the beauty of the voice in the call to prayer.

The number of judges: The number of specialized assessors evaluating competitors' performances is the largest in the history of international competitions, as their number reaches 13 assessors from several countries of the world.

Vocal performance: The competition is the only one of its kind in the world to evaluate voice talents without the use of any voice enhancers or musical instruments. Contestants rely on their vocal performance and experience in balancing and switching between frequency ranges with different tones, a type of art that has been known for hundreds of years.
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