NQC 2026 · The rulebook

Rules & how scoring works

Every contestant is examined and marked in exactly the same way. Scores start full, and small fixed deductions apply per slip — so every mark can be accounted for.

Marked out of 100

Four scored elements

Identical for every contestant

The categories

Five categories, one standard

Every contestant competes in the category they registered for, and answers the same number of questions as everyone else in that category.

Category	Memorised portion	Semi-final questions
AFull Qur'an	All 30 ajzāʾ	2
B20 Ajzāʾ	Ajzāʾ 1–20	2
C10 Ajzāʾ	Ajzāʾ 1–10	2
D5 Ajzāʾ	Ajzāʾ 1–5	2
EJuz ʿAmma	The 30th juz	2

The exam

How the exam runs

Every semi-final turn follows the same script, from the first contestant to the last. The Grand Final runs the same way, with up to 120 seconds' recitation per question.

1A fresh, unseen passageThe Head Judge recites a randomly drawn starting verse from your category's portion. Nobody — not even the judges — knows it in advance, and every contestant's passage is drawn the same way.

2Begin within about 10 secondsContinue reciting from where the Head Judge stopped. If you need it, the starting verse is repeated once.

3Up to 90 seconds per questionYou recite until the Head Judge says "qif" (stop) — at most 90 seconds of recitation per question.

4A prompt after 6 seconds of silenceIf you fall silent for 6 seconds, the Head Judge prompts you (talqīn). After 2 prompts on the same question, the question is closed with "qif".

5Your own riwāyahRecite in the narration you declared when registering — Ḥafṣ, Warsh or any other. You are never penalised for your riwāyah.

6Immediate self-correction is freeCatch a slip and correct it straight away yourself, and nothing at all is deducted.

The scoring

The four marks

Each question is marked out of 100, split across four elements. Three start full and lose small, fixed deductions per slip; the fourth — delivery — is a quality mark the judges award directly.

Memorisation60Tajwīd20Makhārij10Delivery10= 100

60/ 100

Memorisation· ḥifdh

The accuracy of your memory — the heart of the competition. The mark starts full and each slip costs a small, fixed deduction.

Word error — wrong, missed or added word−2Prompt from the Head Judge (talqīn)−3Jumping to a similar verse (tarkīb)−3Long hesitation−1

20/ 100

Tajwīd

The rules of recitation — how the words are sounded, joined and measured.

Clear error (laḥn jalī)−2Subtle slip (laḥn khafī)−1

10/ 100

Makhārij

Pronouncing each letter from its correct articulation point. Makhārij is a scored element of its own, separate from the tajwīd rules.

Articulation-point error (makhraj)−2

10/ 100

Delivery· adāʾ

The beauty of voice and tone (ḥusn al-ṣawt), the flow of tartīl, and composure. The judges award this mark directly — it is a quality mark, not a deduction.

Quality mark · 0–10

A worked example

One question, marked

Picture a turn with one word error, one subtle tajwīd slip and one makhraj error, where the judges award 8 out of 10 for delivery:

Memorisationone word error60 − 258

Tajwīdone subtle slip (laḥn khafī)20 − 119

Makhārijone makhraj error10 − 28

Deliverythe judges' quality mark8

Total for the question58 + 19 + 8 + 8= 93 / 100

Every judge marks independently, and a candidate's score is the mean (average) of the judges' totals.

Results

How results are decided

The mean of the judges' totals

Each judge marks independently. A candidate's score is the mean of the judges' totals — no single judge decides.

The top 5 in each category advance

The highest-scoring contestants in every category go through to the Grand Final on 1–2 August 2026 in Leicester.

If scores are tied

Fewest ḥifdh deductions first; then fewest clear errors (laḥn jalī and makhraj errors); then the Head Judge decides.

Provisional until reviewed

Results are provisional until the panel completes its review of the session recordings — final results are confirmed by email.

Fair play

Fair play, in short

The full room-setup guide walks through all of this step by step. The essentials:

Recitation is entirely from memory — nothing readable near the contestant.

The phone or tablet is propped about 1 metre away.

One guardian in the room — visible on camera and silent.

No headphones or earphones on anyone.

A short room check at the start of each slot. Contestants wearing hijab are never asked to adjust or touch it.

Sessions are recorded for judging review only — stored securely and never published.

A setup problem — Is simply fixed together — no penalty.

Suspected aid — That question is cancelled and a fresh passage is drawn.

Established assistance, or refusing the room check — Disqualification — always confirmed only after review of the session recording.

One written appeal may be sent to info@theiic.uk within 48 hours of results being issued.

Read the full setup guide

The People's Choice

A separate award — never part of the score

At the Grand Final, the public votes for the People's Choice award. It is a standalone prize: the public vote never changes the judges' scores or the competition results.

Questions about the rules? We are glad to help — info@theiic.uk

The room-setup guide

نَسْأَلُ اللهَ أَنْ يُوَفِّقَ كُلَّ مُتَسَابِقٍ وَمُتَسَابِقَة، وَأَنْ يَجْعَلَ الْقُرْآنَ الْكَرِيمَ رَبِيعَ قُلُوبِهِمْ

May Allah grant every contestant success, and make the Noble Qur'an the spring of their hearts.