The Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Foundation has announced the winners of the 19th edition of its Award for Poetic Creativity (Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Edition), which aims to support poetry and poets, promote the Arabic language and highlight the role of poetry in Arab communities.
Saud Albabtain, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, emphasized that the competition is dedicated to supporting the Arabic language, poetry and poets—particularly young talent—by empowering them to express themselves in the rich Arabic language and encouraging them to explore new horizons in poetic expression.
He said: “We believe that poetry is a refined medium for expressing thoughts and emotions, and therefore, we are committed to providing the necessary support to ensure that Diwan Al Arab remains a vibrant part of the Arab nation’s consciousness, serving as one of the main pillars of the Arabic language.”
Saud Albabtain noted that the submissions in this edition demonstrated a high level of innovation and creativity, reflecting a promising future for Arabic poetry in the coming generations. He also congratulated the award winners, highlighting that these awards align with the core objectives for which the Foundation was established.
The Poetic Creativity Award in Criticism, worth $40,000, was awarded to Dr. Ahmed Al Jawa from Tunisia for his book “Lyricism and Issues of Commitment in the Last Poems of Mahmoud Darwish”, and to Dr. Wahb Roumieh from Syria for his book “Poetry and Memory: Intertextuality Between Arabic Poetry in the Twentieth Century and Pre-Islamic Poetry”. The cash prize was equally divided between the two winners.
The Best Poetry Collection Award (Best Diwan) valued at $20,000, was awarded to poet Latifa Hassani from Algeria for her book “The Butterfly Philosophy”, while the Best Poem Award, worth $10,000, went to poet Abdel Moneim Al Aqbi from Egypt for his poem “Mirrors of Time”.
The Youth Award for Best Poetry Collection, valued at $10,000, was awarded to poet Jaafar Hijjawi from Jordan for his book “Runner Around My Father’s Hand”, while the Youth Award for Best Poem, worth $5,000, went to poet Amr Al Batta from Egypt for his poem “Until the End of Life”.
The $50,000 Honorary Award for Poetic Creativity was presented to poet Dr. Khalifa Al Wagayan from Kuwait, in recognition of his distinguished poetic journey, artistic contributions and his outstanding creative experience.
The award received an overwhelming participation from across the Arab world between May 1 and December 31, 2023, following the announcement of the 19th edition of the Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Award for Poetic Creativity by the Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Cultural Foundation. This year’s competition saw significant involvement from critics, veteran poets and emerging talents, reflecting the importance of this award as a major platform for fostering poetic creativity.
The Award received 905 entries across its various categories. After verifying that the submitted works met the award’s general criteria, the nominated pieces were presented to specialized artistic juries made up of some of the most esteemed critics and poets in the Arab world.
The jury panels diligently completed their evaluations, adhering to strict standards and objective criteria throughout their comprehensive reports and extensive discussions.
