Even during the semester break, the open selection process for candidates to represent UIN Sunan Kalijaga in the 2026 Java-Madura State Islamic Higher Education Sports, Arts, and Science Week (PORSI JAWARA II) continued with full enthusiasm and dedication. The open selection, covering 14 competition categories, took place from July 6–16, 2026, at the Student Center and the Rectorate Building.

Although students were busy with Community Service Program (KKN) activities, trips home to their hometowns, and various other commitments, the Student Affairs Division, together with the Student Activity Units (UKM), still managed to run the selection process smoothly. The wide range of circumstances participants found themselves in was no obstacle. The selection committee responded with flexibility, holding the tests in offline, online, hybrid, and online-test formats.

“This has been the most unique selection process we've ever organized. We prepared plan A, plan B, and plan C to make sure every participant still had the chance to show their abilities,” said Head of Student Affairs Muhammad Mahyudin on Thursday (7/16/2026).

One particularly unique situation arose in the selection for the Qur'an Interpretive Recitation (Musabaqah Syarhil Qur'an/MSQ) category. The judges and committee felt it was important for all participants to be able to take part, so a hybrid method was chosen. “On the day of the selection, some participants attended in person at the Rectorate Room, some joined from their KKN placements in Kalimantan, and there was even one joining from aboard a ship en route to their KKN placement in North Maluku,” said MSQ judge Ai Mudrikah on Monday (7/13/2026).

The situation was different for the Qur'an Understanding Competition (Musabaqah Fahmil Qur'an/MFQ) selection. The committee and judges had to think creatively to keep the process fair for all participants. The method used combined online question-answering with live testing via Zoom. “This was a very unique challenge. We had to make sure every participant could demonstrate their full ability, so that we could arrive at a comprehensive assessment of them,” explained MFQ judge Wahyudi Az-Zukhruf on Wednesday (7/15/2026).

Meanwhile, the Islamic Pop Solo selection also had to be held in hybrid format, since one of the judges was unable to attend in person on campus.

“Alhamdulillah, our fellow UKM members were very responsive in understanding this situation. There was also efficiency considerations involved. In order to achieve the goal of selecting the best representatives of UIN Sunan Kalijaga for each competition, the selection committee and judges were able to manage alternative options to keep the selection process running smoothly,” added Nuraini Ahmad, one of the selection committee members.

In the end, every competition category was successfully held to select the best representatives of UIN Sunan Kalijaga. They are expected to bring pride to the university at the PORSI JAWARA II 2026 event, which will be held at UIN K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan this coming September. (humassk)