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 of Archives, Documentation, and Book Business of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Bakhytzhan Turlybekov, Chairman of the Public Foundation "Kitap okityn ult – Reading Nation"; Mereke Kulkenov, Chairman of the Writers' Union of Kazakhstan and Chairman of the Commission; Kurultai deputies Zhanarbek Ashimjan and Sergei Ponomarev; Yerlan Kanalimov, Chairman of the Creative Industries Development Fund; and Marina Podgainova, Head of the Readers Service Department at the Abai Karaganda Regional Children's Library.

The "10 Readers of the Year" project launched on September 1 with a book marathon. Its goal is to increase reading activity and identify the best readers in the country.

Last year, the marathon took place in a pilot format across three regions, bringing together about 190,000 participants. This year, it has been scaled up nationwide.

Participants are divided into seven categories: school students, college students, university students, educators, three-generation family dynasties, civil servants, and other citizens.

A separate "Parasat" direction is provided for representatives of the political and intellectual public. Participation in the marathon is voluntary and free of charge.

A list of 345 works has been compiled for participants. Each must read 15 books within their category.

The marathon will run until March 2027 and will cover 195 districts and 87 cities. Based on the regional selection, about 4,000 prize-winners will be determined, and 200 participants from 20 regions will advance to the national final. The finalists will undergo an in-person interview and a public presentation, where they will demonstrate their knowledge of the works and their ability to analyze literature.

Following the results, the commission will determine the 10 best readers of the country. Each will receive the title of "Reader of the Year" and a cash prize of 10 million tenge.

It should be noted that the awarding ceremony will take place on April 23, on National Book Day, as part of the Republican Readers Forum.