The Al-Milwah race at the International Saudi Falcons and Hunting Exhibition 2026 will expand to 12 rounds, running from 4 to 9 October at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham, north of the capital, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The competition is part of a programme the National Center for Falcons organises under the slogan "An Experience for Everyone".
The new format assigns two rounds to each of the six chick categories — hur, shaheen, gyr pure, mathlouth gyr pure, gyr taba and gyr shaheen — with one round reserved for amateurs and owners and the other for professionals and elite falconers, a split that widens the field of competition and lets participants enter according to their tier. Only chicks bought at the International Auction for Falcon Production Farms may take part, a condition the National Center for Falcons approved to keep the auction tied to a competitive track that runs through to the Al-Milwah races.
Prize money for the 2026 edition totals SAR 723,000, distributed among the top five finishers in each round. The six owner and amateur rounds carry SAR 261,000, with SAR 15,000 for first place in each round, SAR 10,000 for second, SAR 7,500 for third, SAR 6,000 for fourth and SAR 5,000 for fifth. The six professional and elite rounds are worth SAR 462,000, awarding SAR 25,000 for first, SAR 20,000 for second, SAR 15,000 for third, SAR 10,000 for fourth and SAR 7,000 for fifth.
Racing across six days, the falcons are judged on speed and responsiveness as they launch from the starting point known as Al-Sannah and cover 200 metres towards the finish line, Al-Milwah, bringing a traditional falconry practice to exhibition visitors in a competitive setting. The 2025 edition drew around 200 falconers across six chick rounds and crowned 60 winners, with total prizes of SAR 600,000 shared among the top ten in each round.
Doubling the number of rounds and separating participant categories gives falconers a broader space to compete, while visitors can watch the birds' skills, speed and responsiveness on the Al-Milwah field as part of programming tied to the exhibition's identity and falconry heritage. Through such competitions, the National Center for Falcons works to preserve that heritage and pass it to younger generations, enabling falconers to practise their hobby and sharpen their skills. The exhibition itself runs from 1 to 10 October at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham, with a programme spanning falconry, hunting, heritage, travel and adventure.