The NQC story · 2026
From 333
to 55
The story of the UK's first National Qur'an Competition — and the weekend in Leicester where its first champions will be crowned.
A national first
When registration opened for the National Qur'an Competition — the NQC — no one knew how Britain's ḥuffāẓ would answer. The answer came quickly: 333 contestants entered from every corner of the UK and beyond, from Leicester and Birmingham to London, Manchester and mainland Europe. Five categories spanned the full breadth of memorisation: from Juz ʿAmma, recited by children as young as six, to the entire Qur'ān — all 600-plus pages — carried from memory by young men up to thirty.
Seven days of semi-finals
Across seven days in July, every contestant recited live before a judging panel, examined on passages drawn at random from their memorised portion. Marks were deducted for hesitation, prompting, and errors in tajwīd and makhārij under a published national rubric — the same standard, for every child, in every city. Scores were locked and signed by the judges, and when the final session closed, the standings named 55 grand finalists.
The finalists
Ten in Category E (Juz ʿAmma, ages 6–9). Eight each in D, C and B — five, ten and twenty ajzāʾ. And in Category A, the deepest field: twenty-one young men who each hold the entire Qur'ān. The full list — names and cities — is published on the NQC page.
The Grand Final — 1–2 August, Leicester
On Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August, Masjid Taqwa Hall on Harewood Street becomes a national stage. Each finalist recites afresh before an international panel of five renowned qurrāʾ — full-page passages, no time limit, every mark deliberated and confirmed. Results stay sealed until Sunday evening's awards ceremony, when champions in all five categories are crowned in front of the whole hall.
Come and witness it
Entry is free and open to the public (male attendees; girls nine and under welcome). Reserving costs £5 a seat — returned in full as food credit at the stalls, whose proceeds go to charity. There is free parking on site, and a free Qur'an camp at Masjid al-Furqan hosts travelling brothers all weekend. Six hundred seats a day. One weekend. The first champions in British history.