Kuwaiti writer Dr. Najma Idrees has won the seventh edition of the Al Multaqa Prize for Arabic Short Story for her story collection “Canvah”, released by Sophia Publishing House.
The prize management announced the 2025 winner in the presence of Dr. Abdulaziz Al Sabeel, Chairman of the Arab Awards Forum; Abdul Hamid Ahmed, Secretary General of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation; Dr. Alaa Abdel Hadi, President of the General Union of Arab Writers; along with a group of Arab writers, authors and intellectuals.
Speaking at the award ceremony in Kuwait, Dr. Mohammed Al Jassar, Secretary General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, said: “As we celebrate the seventh edition of the prestigious Al Multaqa Prize, we reaffirm the Council’s commitment to supporting this prize, along with pan-Arab cultural and intellectual initiatives that elevate creativity and literature, reinforcing Kuwait’s role as a hub for thought and innovation.”
In his speech, Dr. Abdulaziz Al Sabeel, Chairman of the Arab Awards Forum, highlighted the significant role the Al Multaqa Prize plays in the Arab awards scene. He stated: “This award has revived the prominence of the short story and reaffirmed its importance in the minds of Arabic-language writers and readers in the Arab world and beyond.”
Novelist Amir Taj Al-Sir, Chair of the jury, said: “The competition among the shortlisted writers was intense, making the selection of the winner a challenging task. However, with the jury’s precise technical criteria—each assigned a specific value—and after a transparent discussion, the members unanimously agreed that Dr. Najma Idrees deserved to win.”
The jury held its final meeting in Kuwait, where Ahmed Al Khamisi (Egypt), Ziad Khaddash (Palestine), Abdul Rahman Afif (Syria/Germany), Mohammed Al Rashidi (Saudi Arabia), and Najma Idrees (Kuwait) competed for the prize.
This year’s edition of the award received 133 short story collections submitted by writers hailing from 18 Arab and foreign countries. The jury is chaired by Sudanese writer Dr. Amir Taj Al-Sir and includes Dr. Mohammed Al Yahyaei, Dr. Noura Al Qahtani, Dr. Sherif Al Gayyar, and Dr. Fahad Al Hindal.
