Abu Dhabi's Sard Al Thahab Award Sees Surge In Global Participation

The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has concluded the nomination phase for the second Sard Al Thahab Award. This award honours narrators of biographies, literature, and folk tales in the UAE and the Arab world. It aims to highlight Emirati and Arab folk and narrative arts while showcasing inspiring works in this field.

This year's edition saw 1,213 nominations across six categories from 34 countries, including 19 Arab nations. This marks a 23 percent increase compared to the first edition in 2023, which received 983 entries. Notably, there were first-time participations from Russia, the UK, Turkey, Australia, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Mali, the Netherlands, Myanmar, and the Philippines.

Egypt led among Arab countries in terms of submissions, followed by Morocco, Algeria, Syria, the UAE, Iraq, and Jordan. The highest non-Arab submissions came from Turkey and the United States.

The Award’s Reading Committee recently concluded its meeting to review and evaluate submissions for this edition. Chaired by Ali Obaid Al Hamli, an Emirati writer and media personality, the Committee includes academic Dr. Ali Al Kaabi, author and screenwriter Mohammed Ahmed Hassan, and writer-researcher Walid Alaa El Din.

"The Sard Al Thahab Award has contributed to establishing a literary and artistic movement rooted in the intellectual and literary heritage of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan," said Ali Obaid Al Hamli. "This movement stems from Sheikh Zayed’s creative vision and strives to preserve Emirati and Arab heritage by discovering talent in various narrative fields locally and across the Arab world."

Categories with Highest Participation

The Short Story for Unpublished Stories category received the most submissions with 743 entries or 61 percent of total applications. This was followed by Short Story for Published Stories with 196 nominations (16 percent), Illustrated Story with 121 submissions (10 percent), Popular Narratives with 92 entries; Emirati Narration with 39; and finally Narrators with 22 nominations.

Once the Committee completes its work, judging committees will conduct a thorough review of submitted works. Assessment reports will then be raised to the Higher Committee to select shortlisted entries.

Preserving Cultural Heritage

The Sard Al Thahab Award celebrates individuals who have documented folk heritage history and UAE’s development over decades through local research across the Arab world and internationally. The Award also aims to protect folk narrative arts to strengthen identity among future generations by connecting them with these writings.

Moreover, it seeks to revive folk tales' art forms by expressing them in contemporary artistic styles. This highlights our ancestors' unique characteristics while communicating present hopes and future aspirations through documented historical stages for future generations.

"The review stage indicated growing interest in participating," added Al Hamli. "This reflects rich productions in folk arts rooted in Emirati culture. It confirms that Sard Al Thahab is on track towards achieving its goals of preserving narrative heritage's civilisational role."

The Award also aims to spotlight creative individuals' literary works on local and international cultural scenes while ensuring continuity of narrative heritage through cultural communication between cultures.

With inputs from WAM