A briefing dedicated to the implementation of the national project “10 Readers of the Year” was held at the Central Communications Service under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

    The speakers included Aizada Kurmanova, Chairperson of the Committee for Archives, Documentation and Book Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Bakytzhan Turlybekov, Chairperson of the “Kіtap oqityn ulт – Chitayushchaya natsiya” Public Foundation; Mereke Kulkenov, Chairperson of the Writers’ Union of Kazakhstan and Chairperson of the Commission; Kurultai deputies Zhanarbek Ashimzhan and Sergey Ponomarev; Erlan Kanalimov, Chairperson of the Creative Industries Development Fund; and          Marina Podgainova, Head of the Reader Services Department of the Abai Karaganda Regional Children’s Library.
The “10 Readers of the Year” project was launched on September 1 with a nationwide reading marathon. Its goal is to increase reading activity and identify the best readers in the country.
    Last year, the marathon was held as a pilot project in three regions and brought together around 190,000 participants. This year, it has been expanded nationwide.
Participants are divided into seven categories: school students, college students, university students, teachers, three-generation family dynasties, civil servants, and other citizens.
    A separate category, “Parasat,” is designated for representatives of the political and intellectual community. Participation in the marathon is voluntary and free of charge.
A list of 345 literary works has been compiled for participants. Each participant is required to read 15 books within their respective category.
The marathon will continue until March 2027 and will cover 195 districts and 87 cities. Following the regional selection, approximately 4,000 winners will be determined, while 200 participants from 20 regions will advance to the national final. The finalists will take part in an in-person interview and a public presentation, where they will demonstrate their knowledge of the works and their ability to analyze literature.
    Based on the results, the Commission will select the 10 best readers in the country. Each winner will receive the title “Reader of the Year” and a cash prize of 10 million tenge.
    It should be noted that the award ceremony will be held on April 23, National Book Day, as part of the Republican Readers’ Forum.