Is it permissible to participate in televised cultural competitions that do not rely on luck, and in which the first caller with the correct answer wins?

If the caller pays money for their participation in a competition—such as the cost of a phone call—hoping to win a larger prize, this may fall under the category of prohibited gambling (maysir (definition)). Allah, the Almighty, says: (O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone altars [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful). Gambling (maysir) is that in which one who enters it cannot be free from either gaining or losing. Some competitions that are free at their beginning may become prohibited gambling if they involve the contestant losing what they had gained upon making a mistake later on. Furthermore, participation is forbidden in competitions that promote mixing of genders, or songs, or encourage knowledge of films and and actors.