REGISTRATION FOR THE FIRST REPUBLICAN MARATHON "READING NATION" HAS STARTED IN KAZAKHSTAN
Registration has started in Kazakhstan for the first republican book reading marathon "Reading Nation." The project will unite participants from all regions of the country and will become one of the largest national initiatives for the popularization of reading and the development of book culture.
The marathon will take place from September 2026 to April 2027 in two language leagues — Kazakh and Russian. The project includes 7 specialized categories:
- "Reading School" — for students in grades 6–10;
- "Reading College" — for college students;
- "Reading University" — for university students;
- "Reading Educator" — for school teachers and college instructors;
- "Reading Dynasty" — for family teams;
- "Reading Civil Servant" — for government employees;
- "Reading Intellectual" — for all citizens without restrictions on age or occupation.
Each participant will be required to read 15 books in their category from a specially curated collection of 330 works (165 in Kazakh and 165 in Russian). The book lists include works by domestic authors, world classics, and modern books. Their formation also took into account works included in the "100 Books" list based on the results of a nationwide vote, as well as global bestsellers, including works by Nobel Prize laureates in literature.
The main reading stage will begin in September of this year and continue until March 2027: participants read the books and publish brief reviews in their personal account. Final testing and intellectual quizzes will take place in March–April 2027.
Winners and prize-winners of the regional stages will receive monetary prizes:
- 1st place — 600,000 tenge;
- 2nd place — 450,000 tenge;
- 3rd place — 300,000 tenge.
All finalists will be recognized with diplomas and electronic certificates.
Detailed participation rules, category regulations, and book lists are published on the official project website: www.reading-nation.kz
A number of significant partners have joined the implementation of the republican marathon "Reading Nation." The Union of Writers of Kazakhstan, the Creative Industries Development Fund, and the digital platforms KITAP and Yandex Books will facilitate the development of reading culture, support modern literary initiatives, and create new opportunities for readers to interact with books.
The project is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan.