His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam last night consented to present prizes to the winners of the 50th National Level Al-Quran Reading Competition Adult Division Finals 2010 held at the International Convention Centre, last night.

Accompanying His Majesty were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, HRH Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah and HRH Prince 'Abdul Malik.

Also present were Cabinet Ministers, organisers and special invited guests.

Ak Muhammad Adibul Amin bin Pg Haji Marjuki won the title with 92.33 points in the Qari category whereas Dayang Nurfaezah binti Haji Emran won in the Qariah category with 87.58 points. Both champions brought home a trophy, cash prize of $7,000 and a haj package as well as certificates of participation.

In an interview with the Bulletin, Ak Muhammad Adibul Amin, 22, said that he was happy with the overall result but there "is still room for improvement".

"Prior to the competition, we underwent extensive training conducted by the Ministry of Religious Affairs three times a week at Jame' Asr Mosque," said the soon-to-be Universiti Brunei Darussalam graduate.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Dayang Nurfaezah told that the Bulletin that this was the third consecutive win for her in the competition. "I just gave birth to a new born baby and this is considered 'rezeki' (luck) from Allah the Almighty," she said.

His Majesty also presented prizes to defending champion Haji Muhammad Fahmie bin Haji Metussin and Awangku Mohammad Zul Hafiz bin Awang Tengah for finishing second and third respectively in the Qari category, while Dayang Nurezah binti Haji Md Deli and Dayang Siti Huzzaimah Yadey binti Haji Rosli finished second and third in the Qariah category.

The ceremony also saw the Minister of Religious Affairs speaking on the development of the competition after reaching the half-century mark this year and outlined Brunei's achievements. - Borneo Bulletin (28th May 2010)