The 25th International Qur'an Contests will be held in August.
Announcing this, deputy head of Endowment and Charity Affairs Organization for cultural affairs, Hossein Ahmadian said in a meeting with those involved in organizing the event in Mashhad Wednesday that some 100 contestants from different countries will take part in this round of the competition.
Stating that foreign countries will take active part in the upcoming event compared to the earlier rounds, he further said that so far some 60 countries have announced their readiness to participate in the event.
He put the number of participating countries in 2006 and 2007 at 42 and 52 respectively.
The panel of jury for the event includes some eight to ten members from Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon with the same number from Iran, Ahmadian said.
The most important characteristic of the 25th International Qur'an Contests is that some 50 prominent international Qur'an reciters will take part in its inaugural ceremony, he noted, adding that in the past rounds, Iranian reciters have had a bright performance compared to their foreign counterparts.
This is the first time that the event will be held in a city other than the capital, he said.