After reviewing 175 submissions, the selection committee, chaired by Dr. Youssef Aidabi, selected 15 shows for the competition. Ismail Abdullah, Secretary-General of the Arab Theater Authority, praised the high quality of many of the entries, acknowledging the tough task of narrowing down the list. He also thanked the committee members for their efforts.
The selected shows will compete for the His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Award, with performances from countries including Oman, Tunisia, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Palestine, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.