The Al Dhafra Festival, in its seventeenth edition, witnessed the participation of 608 camels in the Al Dhafra rounds of "Camel 20" for local and majahim breeds. A total of 29 camel owners from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait are competing for the "Katara" title, which will be awarded to the first place winner in each category. The organizing committee allocated 20 prizes with a total value of 8 million and 400 thousand dirhams, with 10 prizes per category (local and majahim). The first-place winner will receive 1 million and 200 thousand dirhams, along with the "Katara" trophy, while the second place will receive 750 thousand dirhams, the third place 500 thousand dirhams, the fourth place 400 thousand dirhams, and the fifth place 350 thousand dirhams, with additional prizes distributed up to the tenth place.
Each camel owner is allowed to participate with only one herd in each round, consisting of 20 camels owned solely by the participant and their children, with no partners involved. If some camels are disqualified by the medical committee, the owner has the right to replace 3 camels. The Al Dhafra rounds (Camel 20) for local and majahim breeds are regarded as special contests within the festival, and camel owners begin preparing for them at the start of the camel beauty contests season in Abu Dhabi, leading up to the participation day. The 20 camels are groomed in the early morning in preparation for entering the judging pens, accompanied by the owner, their children, and enthusiastic supporters in large, joyful parades.
Camel owners confirmed that participating in the Al Dhafra round (Camel 20) is considered a victory in itself, and participants celebrate with joyful parades before their camels enter the pens. They emphasized that owning 20 camels of different ages (Mafroudah, Haqqah, Luqiyah, Iyadha, Thaniya, Hayel) is not an easy task, as these camels require care and attention throughout the year, which involves purchasing distinguished camels in beauty contests locally and regionally, thus supporting the market for buying and selling contest camels.
Participants expressed their gratitude for the significant support and unlimited contributions provided by the wise leadership of the country to all heritage festivals and events in general, and specifically to the Al Dhafra Festival, as well as to various heritage, environmental, and development projects. They noted that "participating in the Al Dhafra Festival in its seventeenth edition is a source of pride and honor for them, their children, and the audience of camel contests, as this festival represents an important occasion to celebrate Emirati and Gulf heritage."
