Ammon News - By Ahmed Gary- Falconry in Saudi Arabia has evolved beyond a traditional pastime into a structured and professionally governed ecosystem that brings together competition, organization and incentives. Within this context, the King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival 2025 stands out as a clear example of how prizes can be used to raise competitive standards, expand participation and attract falconers from around the world.

The festival is built on a multi-round format with diverse categories, each supported by clearly defined financial rewards. This structure has helped create a balanced and transparent competitive environment, allowing falconers to understand the criteria for success and the value of the effort they invest. Participation is therefore driven not only by heritage and passion, but also by confidence in fair competition and clear pathways for development.

Prizes have become a central pillar of the festival’s success. The total prize pool for the 2025 edition exceeded SR38 million ($10.1 million), the largest ever offered at a falconry festival worldwide. These rewards are distributed across a range of competitions, including the Mazayin contest, where the first-place winner receives SR300,000 ($80,000). This clarity in prize allocation reflects a deliberate approach to linking technical excellence with tangible reward.

The fairness of this system has been demonstrated in practice. In one notable case, a falcon purchased at the international auction of falcon production farms for SR30,000 ($8,000) went on to win SR120,000 ($32,000) in prize money. The outcome reinforced the principle that success is determined by quality and performance rather than acquisition price, highlighting the strength of the festival’s organizational standards in providing equal opportunities for all participants.

Beyond their monetary value, prizes play an important role in raising ambition among falconers. They encourage higher levels of preparation and training, promote participation across different competitive tracks, and contribute to a steady increase in the number of entrants. This has expanded the competitive base and strengthened the festival’s profile as an international destination for falconry.

Saudi Arabia’s commitment to falconry and the preservation of this cultural heritage reflects a broader vision of safeguarding tradition while adapting it to modern standards of governance and sustainability. By placing falconry within a professional and well-regulated framework, the Kingdom has helped usher the sport into a more mature phase, one that supports continuity, rewards excellence and reinforces Saudi Arabia’s position as a global hub for falconry.