Arab Poetry Criticism Award announces the 3rd session winners

The award comes under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and was organised by the Department of Cultural Affairs at Sharjah Department of Culture since 2021, to care for Arabic poetry, and to stimulate the energies of critics and those interested in studies directed towards the poetic experience.

The Tunisian critic Moncef Al Wahaibi won first place for his research on the Structure of Poetic Discourse in Contemporary Arabic Poetry; and the Moroccan critic Anouar Benaich won for his research on the Structure of Synonymy and Contradiction in Contemporary Arabic Poetry; while Moroccan critic Hussein Benbada won for his research on the Structure of Discourse in Experimental Arabic Poetry.

Mohammed Al Qasir said that by revealing three new winners in the third session, the Award is successfully moving towards establishing a critical scene for Arabic poetry, and in accordance with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, it will provide importance in the Arab cultural arena, noting that it is establishing a specialised critical library due to the volume of research that the award received in the third session. 

Al Qasir explained that the three winners will be honoured during the 20th Sharjah Arab Poetry Festival in its twentieth session, held next January.

The Secretary-General of the Award indicated that the third session saw a remarkable Arab turnout, as it received 127 critical researches by participants and contributiors representing 14 Arab countries, namely: Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Syria, Algeria, Jordan, Tunisia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the Emirates, Mauritania, Palestine, and Sudan.

The Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs highlighted that the remarkable turnout for the award reflects its importance to Arab critics, explaining that the award opened a new horizon for criticising Arabic poetry, and shed light on the most prominent issues related to poetry, and the development that occurs in poetry.

It is noteworthy that the award offers financial rewards to the first three winners, whereas the first receives 100,000 dirhams, the second receives 75,000 dirhams, and the third receives 50,000 dirhams. The winners will be honoured during the Sharjah Arab Poetry Festival next January.