# Dominican youth set Guinness World Record with 500-hour read

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/dominican-youth-continuous-reading-challenge
> Updated: 2026-09-21T21:58:50.000Z. Sources: 33. Developments: 3.

Five Dominican youths participating in the ‘Juventud en Voz Alta’ initiative, organized by the Ministry of Youth, successfully reclaimed the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous team reading aloud marathon. The attempt, which began on August 31, involved participants Abril Sharmin del Rosario Jiménez, Ismael Alejandro Durán de la Rosa, Maikol Yafrani Arias Sánchez, Mayury Ariaany Vélez Sánchez, and Franchesca Alí Minier Suárez.

Following strict protocols to maintain 24-hour reading shifts, the group completed over 500 hours of continuous reading in Santo Domingo. This achievement surpassed the previous record of 431 hours, 31 minutes, and 25 seconds held by a team from Nigeria. During the marathon, the group read approximately 51 works, including ‘The Iliad’, the Dominican Constitution, and ‘Hay un País en el Mundo’ by Pedro Mir, totaling nearly 14,000 pages.

The marathon, a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Youth and the Ministry of Education, concluded after more than 21 days of continuous activity. The event was supported by Vice President Raquel Peña and Youth Minister Carlos Valdez Matos. President Luis Abinader also recognized the participants, congratulating them for their discipline and perseverance and noting that they serve as an example for the country in the effort to stimulate reading habits and promote literacy among the nation's youth.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-21: Dominican youth set Guinness World Record with 500-hour reading marathon

Five Dominican youths have set a new Guinness World Record by completing over 500 continuous hours of reading aloud, surpassing the previous record held by Nigeria.

21 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/dominican-republic-sets-guinness-world-record-for-continuous-reading

### 2026-09-18: Dominican youths set Guinness World Record with 500 hours of continuous reading

Five Dominican youths set a new Guinness World Record by completing 500 hours of continuous reading as part of the ‘Juventud en Voz Alta’ initiative to promote literacy.

14 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/dominican-republic-youths-break-reading-marathon-record

### 2026-09-04: Dominican youths surpass 100 hours in Guinness reading challenge

Five Dominican youths have completed over 100 hours of continuous reading in an attempt to reclaim the Guinness World Record for team reading aloud.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/dominican-youths-surpass-100-hours-in-guinness-reading-challenge

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Cite as: Dominican youth set Guinness World Record with 500-hour read. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/dominican-youth-continuous-reading-challenge