The closing ceremony of Ithra’s iRead program in its 8^th edition is a public event to celebrate reading, readers and award the winners of the iRead competition, where ten readers from the Arab world compete to be the Reader of the Year. The ceremony is accompanied by a cultural event that includes poetry recitals by the poet Farouk Gouida, talks, book signings, the Kutubiya book swapping fair, a debate between the iRead finalists, and the legendary poet Adunis will be this year’s guest of honor.

On Friday and Saturday, May 26 – 27, 2023. Friday’s program starts from 5 – 10 p.m. and on Saturday it starts from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

The ceremony will be held at Ithra’s Theater.

The ten readers who will compete in the finals are from seven Arab countries, who qualified for the final stage in the Reader of the Year track within the iRead competition after a series of playoffs that began in June 2022. Each reader will present a creative text of his writing in five minutes, followed by the feedback and assessment of the jury members.

Yes, at the end of the ceremony the audience will get to vote on their best Reader of the Year, in addition to the best reader as judged by the jury.

A debate to discuss Book Piracy: Harms v. Benefits, where eight readers of those that made it to the finals will take the two stances and try to make their case.

You can attend the ceremony by registering in the link on the iRead Final Event page on Ithra’s website. Your request will be reviewed, and then notified as soon as possible to get your ticket.

You will be contacted via e-mail.

Tickets to the finals are free. However, registration in Ithra’s website is required to reserve your seat. Your request will be reviewed, and then you will be notified as soon as possible to get your ticket from the information desk opposite to the second entrance of the Center during Ithra’s working hours.

Yes, those under the age of 9 are not allowed to enter.

Yes, a poetry reading by the Egyptian poet Farouk Gouida, will be held on Friday, May 26, six book signings will take place on May 26 - 27, in addition to a number of talks and a debate between the iRead finalists. You can view the ceremony’s agenda through its designated page on Ithra’s

The ceremony’s ticket is enough to enter all of its programs on Friday and Saturday, as per the Center’s capacity, except for the awards ceremony, where a separate ticket is required.

It is not required to attend each segment of the ceremony or its accompanying programs.

Yes, 50 free copies are available for the audience.

It is a book swapping event with the aim to recycle books among readers, and give them the opportunity to benefit from the books they have read by exchanging them for others.

No, it is enough to bring any book of your own and swap it for any book in the exhibition.

No

Yes, the book must be in a good condition, no less than 80 pages. Academic books, duplicates, or those that are part of a series are not accepted.

Yes, the maximum is 10 books.

No, you can go directly to the information desk to collect your Kutubiya card and participate the book swapping fair.

You can view the iRead page on Ithra’s.