Abu Dhabi Welcomes New Season Of Prince Of Poets Competition With Global Participation

Abu Dhabi is gearing up for the next season of the Prince of Poets competition, a significant event in the poetry world. Organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, this biennial TV programme takes place at the Al Raha Beach Theatre. It serves as a major platform for discovering and nurturing poetic talent.

This year, over 1,000 poets from 33 countries applied to participate, marking a record in diversity. This reflects the programme's expanding global reach and its influence in promoting Arabic poetry worldwide. The wide geographic representation highlights its role in enhancing Arabic verse on the international stage.

The eleventh season's evaluation process has concluded, with 150 poets shortlisted to meet the jury in October 2024 at Al Raha Beach Theatre. During this phase, contestants will undergo competitive tests to select the final 20 poets who will advance to live episodes in December 2024.

This edition saw submissions from poets in 14 non-Arab countries, indicating growing international interest. Previous seasons have included participants from India, the US, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali, and Nigeria. This trend showcases the competition's appeal beyond Arab nations.

The title of Prince of Poets has been awarded for ten seasons to poets from seven Arab countries: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Mauritania, and Oman. Saudi Arabian poets have been particularly successful, winning four consecutive titles from the sixth to ninth seasons.

In its tenth season, a historic milestone was achieved when a female poet won the title for the first time. Over ten seasons, 53 poets reached top ranks with female participants making up about 24% of total entries. This highlights increasing female participation in this prestigious event.

Prizes and Recognition

The competition has showcased 245 poets from 25 countries over ten seasons. The first-place winner receives AED1 million along with symbolic items like the Poetry Burda (cloak) and a ring representing Emir status. Second place earns AED500,000; third gets AED300,000; fourth receives AED200,000; fifth is awarded AED100,000.

Poets from UAE, Mauritania, Syria, Yemen, Egypt and Oman have each claimed victory once. The competition continues to celebrate diverse poetic talent while honouring Arab heritage through its awards and recognition system.

With inputs from WAM