Dominican Republic achieves historic Guinness World Record in continuous reading
The talent and determination of Dominican youth have been recorded in world history. A group of five 18-year-old students managed to complete 500 hours of uninterrupted reading aloud, setting a new official record recognized by Guinness World Records for the country.
The Vice President of the Republic, Raquel Peña, expressed her satisfaction with this achievement that holds the nation’s name high. Through her digital platforms, the official highlighted the effort of these young people, who dedicated more than three weeks to this demanding intellectual and physical challenge.
Vice President Raquel Peña’s post about the Guinness World Record
Protagonists of the challenge
The team that made this feat possible is made up of young representatives from various provinces, demonstrating the unity and capability of Dominican youth:
- Abril Sharmin del Rosario Jiménez (La Romana)
- Ismael Alejandro Durán de la Rosa (San Cristóbal)
- Maikol Yafrani Arias Sánchez (Monseñor Nouel)
- Mayury Ariaany Vélez Sánchez (María Trinidad Sánchez)
- Franchesca Alí Minier Suárez (La Vega)
Feat details
The challenge, titled “Youth Out Loud,” began on August 31st. Participants organized rotating shifts to ensure that the reading did not stop for even a second during the 24 hours of the day. Although the original goal set was 480 hours, the group decided to go further and reach 500 hours, widely surpassing the previous record of 431 hours, 31 minutes, and 25 seconds held by Nigeria since 2025.
What pride to see how far our young people can go! We celebrate together with these Dominican students their 500 hours of reading aloud and a Guinness Record that now bears our country’s name.
Raquel Peña, Vice President of the Republic
The official Guinness World Records adjudicator was present at the close of the day to validate compliance with the strict requirements, confirming that the Dominican Republic now leads this global category. Vice President Peña accompanied the students at the moment of the proclamation, congratulating them on their perseverance and urging them to continue pursuing great goals.
