Twenty-four Arab artists, including nine from Egypt, have made it to the final stage of the regional singing competition Arab Idol, according to MBC's website.
In addition to the top 24 contestants, the judges have opened the floor for two additional participants to join the final performance round, "Singing Live on Stage" which will be held in Beirut.  
The announcement was made during the sixth episode of the season, which is broadcasted on MBC 1 and 2 and is currently in its third season. This year, a total of 80 aspiring artists entered the race, performing various acts that also included group performances.   
The nine Egyptian finalists are: Iman Abdel-Aziz, Inas Ezz El-Dine, Salma Ahmed, Mohamed Hassan, Mohamed Said Rashad, Mervat Wagdy, Moemen Khalil, Hebatullah Youssef and Yasser Ali. Other finalists are from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen.
Last year, Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf scooped the top award.
Arab Idol is based on the series American Idol. The concept of the show is to showcase solo talents where winners are voted for by the audience.
Source: Ahram Online