The National Quran Recitation Competition (MTQ) to be Held Annually

RRI.CO.ID, Semarang — The Ministry of Religious Affairs has decided to change the implementation of the National Quran Recitation Competition (MTQ), which has been held every two years, to an annual event. The decision was announced by the Minister of Religion, Nasaruddin Umar, on the sidelines of the 2026 XXXI National MTQ series which took place in Semarang, Central Java, on September 11–20, 2026.

Along with this change, the Qur'an Recitation Selection (STQ) which had been held alternately with the MTQ was officially discontinued.

Nasaruddin explained that the primary consideration for this change was that the energy and preparation required by regions to host the STQ were virtually identical to those needed for the MTQ; the government therefore deemed it more efficient to merge the two into a single annual MTQ event.

Another factor was the long waiting list of provinces wishing to serve as hosts; he cited Central Java as an example, noting that the province only secured hosting rights again after a 47-year wait since its last time hosting the MTQ.

In addition to the change in format, the 31st National MTQ in Semarang introduced a Deaf Disability Exhibition, creating a new avenue for participation and an effort to expand access to inclusive religious services. A total of 28 participants from 14 Muslim deaf communities took part in this exhibition on September 14–16, 2026, competing in the Tilawah and Kitabah Al-Qur'an Isyarat categories.

The organization of this exhibition aligns with Law Number 8 of 2016 concerning Persons with Disabilities, which guarantees access to religious services for individuals with disabilities.

The MTQ (Quran Recitation Competition) itself has a long history in Indonesia. This activity began with a Quran reading assembly with vocal art initiated by the qari at the Sunan Ampel Mosque, Surabaya, in the 1950s. One of the initiators, Kiai Bashori Alwi, later proposed to the government that the activity be developed into a more organized Quran recitation competition.

President Sukarno welcomed the proposal by hosting an international-level competition during the Asian-African Islamic Conference in Bandung in 1965, which served as the precursor to the MTQ. After that, the government institutionalized the MTQ as an official agenda, with the first national event being held in Makassar in 1968. The MTQ was held annually until 1981, before finally changing to every two years and remaining with that pattern until the latest decision returned it to an annual agenda.

As time went by, the branches competed in the MTQ also expanded, no longer limited to tilawah or the art of reading the Qur'an. A number of other branches such as tahfidz, tafsir, calligraphy, and Musabaqah Fahm Al-Qur'an are also competed in, making the MTQ not just a place to show off vocal art, but also a scientific forum to interpret, reason, and convey the contents of the Al-Qur'an more comprehensively.