Sharjah Award For Arab Creativity Names 18 Winners Across Six Literary Fields

The Sharjah Department of Culture has announced the 18 winners of the 29th Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity. The award, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, honours new Arabic literary talents. Winners are recognised across six fields, following decisions by specialised judging committees.

The results, approved by the Prize Secretariat after sorting and deliberation, cover poetry, novel, short story, playwriting, children’s literature, and literary criticism. Participants in this cycle come from across the Arab region and several other countries. The award targets first works, giving emerging writers a recognised entry point into the Arab literary scene.

In poetry, first place went to Ahmed Salama Selim Abed from Egypt for Another Name for Things. Second place was awarded to Egyptian writer Ahmed Imam Mahmoud Bayoumi for No Knocking Behind the Door. Third place in this category went to Algerian writer Saddam Issa Bouaziz for I Move the Stones of Silence.

The short story prize saw Yemeni writer Ahmed Adel Mohammed Nasser Al-Salmi take first place for The Hidden Pulse of the Mountain. Second place went to Iraqi writer Maha Abdulkarim Abdul Badrani for The Museum of Shadows and Threads. Moroccan writer Badr Asouka secured third place for The Biography of Drowning.

Within the novel category, Tunisian writer Mai Al-Mawlidi Al-Arabi Dhou won first place for The Resurrection of Taniri. Syrian writer Ahmed Mohammed Hamshari took second for Rotation, while Tunisian writer Yassin Ben Mohammed Chenini received third for The Dust. These works were selected after detailed evaluation by the novel judging committee.

In theatre writing, Syrian writer Zubaida Hassan Raja received first place for The Queue. Yemeni writer Ibrahim Issa Muhammad Ali came second with The City of Ghosts. Algerian writer Sumaya Bounab took third place for Aslith, the Bride of the Rain. The plays were assessed on artistic structure and dramatic vision.

The children’s literature category awarded first place to Iraqi writer Hussein Ni’ma Hussein for The Book of Riddles. Second place went to Egyptian writer Muhammad Ismail Abdullah Suwailim for A Bird Embracing Its Brother. Moroccan writer Omar Al-Raji gained third place for The Melody of Spring. This cycle focused on poetry collections for children aged 8 to 11.

In literary criticism, Egyptian critic Ahmed Muhammad Morsi Abdullah achieved first place for Manifestations of Aesthetic Experimentation in the Contemporary Short Story: Transformations of Form and Vision. Iraqi critic Sundus Qasim Abdullah Al-Azzawi received second place for Deconstructing the Traditional Narrative Structure: Experimentation in Shaping Time and the Narrator in the Contemporary Short Story. Third place went to Egyptian critic Nourhan Sayed Hassan Sayed for The Aesthetics of Experimentation in the Short Story: From Tradition to Digitalisation.

Mohammed Ibrahim Al Qasir, Director of the Cultural Affairs Department and Secretary-General of the Prize, highlighted the award’s cultural role. Al Qasir said, "With each new edition, the Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity reaffirms its creative essence in seeking out every emerging talent taking their first steps in the world of Arabic literature. It embodies the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, who laid the foundations for this pioneering award, which targets young creators. It is an exceptional cultural vision centred on discovering the first literary works of writers from across the Arab world, thus giving the award a distinct cultural identity and character, serving as a celebratory space and an incubator for creative individuals in six vital and diverse literary fields."

Al Qasir explained that the award has influenced Arabic writing over many years. Al Qasir added, "Throughout its successive cycles, the prize has contributed to fostering a rich and diverse creative environment, enriching the Arabic literary landscape with hundreds of publications in poetry, novels, short stories, criticism, and plays. It is worth noting that the prize witnesses broad participation in each cycle; this cycle alone attracted over 500 literary works from Arab countries, in addition to submissions from foreign countries by Arabic-speaking writers. This demonstrates the prize's significance to writers and underscores its commitment to opening its doors each cycle to discover new talents."

Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity participation

The submitted works in the 29th edition spanned all six literary fields. There were 118 poetry manuscripts, 153 short story collections and 130 novels. Theatre writing recorded 79 entries, children’s literature 45 entries, and literary criticism 25 studies. This session dedicated children’s literature to poetry for ages 8 to 11 and focused criticism on experimentation in the contemporary short story.

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Entries came from a wide range of countries, reflecting the prize’s international scope. Egypt submitted 164 works, Syria 84, Iraq 52, and Algeria 49. Morocco and Yemen each sent 37 submissions. Sudan submitted 28, Jordan 24, Tunisia 11, Mauritania 9, Oman 8, Saudi Arabia 5, the UAE 4, Lebanon 4, and Somalia 1.

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Submissions also arrived from non-Arab countries by Arabic-speaking writers, each sending one work. These states were Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Mali, Chad, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Guinea, Eritrea and Canada. Al Qasir stated that this spread of participation confirms the award’s global reach and its importance for writers seeking recognition for their first books.

With inputs from WAM