The Great Reading Competition 2020 – the first festival following Covid-19

It was deemed appropriate that the first event in Hafnarfjörður following Covid-19 should be the final festival of the Grand Reading Competition, which is usually held at Hafnarborg in March each year. „This is a harvest festival that is eagerly awaited and crystallises the importance of the Icelandic language, tireless practice, success and anticipation.“, as the Mayor of Hafnarfjörður, Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, so aptly put it in her speech at the festival. The festival was open exclusively to readers and their families, as well as others with a role in the event. The President of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, honoured the readers and guests with his presence, presented book gifts and gave a short speech.  

^{The prize-winning group with the President of Iceland, the Mayor of Hafnarfjörður, the Chair of the Hafnarfjörður Education Committee and the mother of the reading competition. Back row, from left: Kristín Thoroddsen, Chair of the Hafnarfjörður Education Committee; President of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson; Ingibjörg Einarsdóttir, founder of the competition; and Rósa Guðbjartsóttir, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður. In the front row, from left to right, are this year's competition winners: Dagbjörg Birna Sigurðardóttir from Setbergsskóli (3rd prize), Ellen María Arnarsdóttir from Hvaleyrarskóli (1st prize) and Smári Hannesson from Lækjarskóli (3rd prize).}

A professional and beautiful reading by 16 students

The Grand Reading Competition began as a pilot project on reading in the winter of 1996-1997. The competition has grown and expanded with each passing year, and participants, and thus role models in reading the Icelandic language, can now be found in almost every municipality in the country. The awards ceremony for the Great Reading Competition in Hafnarfjörður was this time held in Víðistaðakirkja, where 16 pupils from the 7th grades of Hafnarfjörður's primary schools took centre stage. Two pupils from each primary school took to the stage to give a professional and beautiful reading on behalf of their school, performing texts and poems by the competition's poets. This year's poets were Jón Jónsson úr Vör and Birkir Blær Ingólfsson, who also delivered the keynote speech. Descendants of Jón Jónsson were in the hall and were called up to receive gifts. Students from the Hafnarfjörður School of Music sang and played musical instruments, and Layan Ahmed Abukhalifa recited a poem in Arabic. The President of Iceland presented the students with a poetry book, which the Association of Icelandic Publishers had given to all students. The Mayor of Hafnarfjörður, Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, gave a speech, encouraging the students and thanking them for the beautiful reading.

Everyone comes out a winner

The Great Reading Competition isn't about being the first to the finish line, but about practice and perfecting one's reading. All pupils in Hafnarfjörður's primary schools are therefore the winners after the event. The standouts among their peers were Ellen María Arnarsdóttir from Hvaleyrarskóli, who won 1st prize for her reading; Smári Hannesson from Lækjarskóli, who won 2nd prize; and Dagbjörg Birna Sigurðardóttir from Setbergsskóli, who won 3rd prize. Kolbeinn Tumi Árnason received a prize for the festival's poster. Awards were also given in the primary schools' short story competition. The story It really matters. The story by Jón Ragnar Einarsson in Year 10 at Hraunvallar School came first. The Mirror by Guðmundur Pétur Dungal Níelsson in Year 10 at Víðistaðaskóli came second, and two stories came third, Double joy by Saga María Michaelsdóttir and The Family Secret by Anna Lilja D. Gunnarsdóttir and they are both in Year 10 at Víðistaðaskóli.

Recently, Ingibjörg Einarsdóttir, the founder of the competition, was interviewed on Vitanum, the City of Hafnarfjörður's podcast. In it, she goes over the competition's history, aims and purpose. We encourage you to listen to the interview.