September 30, 2026 | Puebla, Mexico | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Ariel Familia of Colegio Ozama in the Dominican Republic won the Inter-American Division’s second annual Adventist Virtual Library Bible Contest, held online on September 22, with 14 student finalists representing unions across the territory.

Vania Otero of Unidad Educativa Adventista Maranatha in the West Venezuela Union placed second, while Rogelio Quero of Colegio Cinco de Febrero in the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union finished third.

Ariel Familia (center) of the Dominican Republic placed first in the 2026 BiVA Reading Bible Contest, followed by Vania Otero (left) of the West Venezuela Union in second place, and Rogelio Quero of the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union in third. Fourteen finalists competed online during the Sept. 22, 2026, final hosted from Puebla, Mexico. [Photo: Courtesy of Edy Echenique]
The competition, known as BiVA Reading, was broadcast from the headquarters of the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union in Puebla, Mexico, with finalists participating online. Each student had advanced through competitions at the school, local field and union levels before reaching the division final.

This year’s finalists represented 14 of the IAD’s 25 unions and an increase from the 11 students who competed in the inaugural division-wide contest in 2025.

Building a Habit of Bible Reading

For Yanet Cima, who oversees the Adventist Virtual Library (BiVA) for the IAD, the contest is intended to go beyond determining how much students know.

Yanet Cima, who oversees the Adventist Virtual Library for the Inter-American Division, addresses participants during the 2026 BiVA Reading Bible Contest. Cima said the initiative seeks to cultivate Bible reading among Adventist students and draw them closer to God.[Photo: Mara Lilibeth Martínez]
Students spent months studying the first 20 chapters of Genesis along with selected chapters of Ellen G. White’s Patriarchs and Prophets. Cima said the preparation was intended to lead students beyond learning facts to discovering biblical lessons about creation and God’s purpose for humanity.

“They have fallen in love with the Word of God,” Cima said as she opened the finale program, referring to the students’ preparation for the competition.

Organizers said BiVA Reading has three main objectives: helping students understand God as Creator, cultivating a love for reading through the Bible, and encouraging greater use of the Adventist Virtual Library.

The finalists competed in four rounds of 10 multiple-choice questions. Correct answers and response time determined their standings.

The three medals for the first-, second- and third-place winners of the 2026 BiVA Reading Bible Contest. [Photo: Mara Lilibeth Martínez]
Winner Gives Credit to God

After Familia was announced as the winner, Pastor Abraham Sandoval, president of the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union, asked him what he considered most valuable about preparing for and participating in the competition.

Ariel pointed to the spiritual experience behind his preparation.

“First of all, I want to give all the credit for this important victory to God,” Ariel said. “The most important thing I felt throughout this preparation was the hand of God guiding me in every word of His sacred book.”

He also recognized his country, school and the IAD in celebrating the achievement.

Cima congratulated Ariel and the other finalists, expressing confidence that what they had learned through their study would remain in their hearts beyond the competition.

Students from the Carmen Serdán Adventist School perform during the live program of the 2026 BiVA Reading Bible Contest in Puebla, Mexico.[Photo: Mara Lilibeth Martínez]
The competition also featured Alicia Osorio, winner of the inaugural BiVA Reading contest in 2025, who reflected on how preparing for the competition changed her relationship with Bible reading.

“Before, I didn’t read the Bible that much,” she said, explaining that she once thought it could be “a little boring.” Her preparation included reading, listening to audio, memorizing, taking notes and rereading passages she did not understand.

Prayer, she said, became an important part of that process, and her parents continually reminded her that studying was not simply about winning.

“They constantly encouraged me to continue,” Alicia said. “They told me it wasn’t only for the contest, but also for the knowledge and for learning more about God.”

Faye Patterson, education director for the Inter-American Division, reminds students that reading opens doors to discovery and helps shape character during the BiVA Reading Bible Contest. [IAD Screenshot]
Reading for Learning and Service

Pastor Abner De los Santos, president of the IAD, encouraged students to see Bible study as more than preparation for the competition. He said Scripture helps shape the convictions behind everyday decisions and challenged them to make reading the Bible a daily encounter with Jesus. “The Word of God not only prepares us for heaven; it prepares us for the decisions of today,” he said.

Dr. Faye Patterson, education director for the IAD in charge of the Adventist Virtual Library, told participants that the final represented more than a reading competition.

“We celebrate curiosity, discipline, imagination and the desire to learn,” Patterson said.

Reading, she added, strengthens vocabulary, memory and concentration while teaching students to think carefully. For Christian students, she said, reading takes on added significance through Scripture.

Heidi Báez (left), librarian for the Adventist Virtual Library, and Noemí Olmos, accountant for the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union, lead during the bible contest as finalists participate online from their respective schools. [Photo: Mara Lilibeth Martínez]
“By reading the Bible, we learn who God is, how much He loves us, and how He wants us to live and serve,” Patterson said.

She encouraged students not to stop reading once the contest was over, but to seek material that strengthens their minds, deepens their faith and develops character.

“Each participant is already a winner because you decided to read, learn and grow,” Reid said.

Expanding Access to Educational Resources

Sandoval said the contest also highlights the role of the Adventist Virtual Library in supporting Adventist education across a geographically diverse territory.

The digital library provides students and teachers with reliable academic resources regardless of whether their schools have extensive physical libraries, he said.

Pastor Abraham Sandoval, president of the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union, encourages students to make reading a lifelong habit that strengthens learning and faith during the live-streamed event. [Photo: Mara Lilibeth Martínez]
“The Adventist Virtual Library is a fundamental tool that has democratized access to academic information,” Sandoval said, describing its resources as reliable, safe and validated.

Students and teachers in remote areas or schools without physical libraries can access research materials comparable to those available at larger institutions, he added.

Created in 2007 as an initiative of the IAD Education Department, the Adventist Virtual Library supports students and educators from preschool through graduate studies, Sandoval said. Its digital resources are continually updated and available at any time.

Recognizing the Finalists

Ariel, Vania and Rogelio will each receive a scholarship equivalent to 10 months of tuition for their current school year, provided by the IAD administration.

Final scores display the results of the 2026 BiVA Reading Bible Contest. [Image: Courtesy of Edy Echenique]
Ariel will also receive a tablet and bible contest medal. Vania will receive a school-supply kit and finalist medal, while Rogelio will receive a medal as well. Organizers also announced incentives for students placing fourth through 14th.

He also connected next year’s contest with OneVoice27, the IAD-wide initiative that will encourage students, teachers and church members to share messages of hope and salvation through social media and other communication platforms.

The emphasis builds on what church leaders said they hope students will take from BiVA Reading: not simply the ability to recall what they have read, but a lasting engagement with Scripture.

As last year’s winner Osorio told this year’s participants, the value of the experience extends beyond the competition.

“It’s not only a contest,” she said, “but a blessing.”

Adventist Virtual Library, church leaders and production staff gather at the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union headquarters in Puebla, Mexico, which hosted the 2026 BiVA Reading Bible Contest. [Photo: Mara Lilibeth Martínez]
Adventist high school students across the Inter-American Division can begin preparing for next year’s BiVA Reading Bible Contest, which will focus on 13 chapters of The Desire of Ages under the OneVoice27 theme, “Finding My Identity With Jesus.”

To learn more about Inter-America’s Virtual Library, visit biva.interamerica.org

To watch the event in English, Spanish and French, go to webcast.interamerica.org