Sharjah announces winners of Gulf Women’s Creativity Award

Winners in critical studies

In the Critical Studies category, Dr. Sabah bin Abdul Karim Isawi (Saudi Arabia) was awarded for her research, The Dialectic of Self and the Other in Arabic Travel Literature: A Critical Perspective. Prof. Nadia Hanawi Saadon (Iraq) won for Self and the Other in Imaginary Travel Narratives. The Jury Prize was granted to Soumaya Ali Raheef (Iraq) for her study Opposites Attract: The Self and the Other in Short Stories, analysing Giants and Dwarfs of the Sea by Fathiya Al-Nimr.

Classical poetry category

For Classical Poetry, Dr. Dalal bin Bandar Al-Maliki (Saudi Arabia) won for her poetry collection Coma, while Afaf bin Hussein Al-Harbi (Saudi Arabia) won for On the Thresholds of Absence.

Children’s literature – short story

In the Children’s Literature – Short Story category, Badriya bin Mohammed Al-Badri (Oman) won for her story Me and My Friend, and Maryam Khalifa Al-Shehhi (UAE) received the award for What Does It Mean to Belong? The Jury Prize was presented to Nada Ahmed Fardan (Bahrain) for her story The Amazing Shampoo of Feelings.

Cultural Personality of the Year

An announcement will soon be made for the Cultural Personality of the Year, recognising a prominent Gulf woman with significant literary contributions and cultural influence.

Promoting Gulf women’s literary excellence

The Sharjah Award for Gulf Women’s Creativity was established to support and showcase the creative achievements of Gulf women in literature and critical studies. It serves to enrich contemporary Gulf literature and foster healthy competition among female writers.

Increased participation and award evolution

Salha Ghabish, Head of the Cultural Office, noted a higher participation rate in this edition compared to previous years, with all entries meeting the award’s criteria. She highlighted that this award is the first of its kind in the GCC, dedicated to celebrating women’s excellence in storytelling, poetry, theatre, and children’s literature.

To encourage diverse literary contributions, the award structure is periodically revised. This year’s edition featured three main categories: Critical Studies, Classical Poetry, and Children’s Literature – Short Story. In the previous edition, Playwriting was introduced under storytelling to expand opportunities for participation.

By continuously adapting the award categories, the initiative seeks to foster a dynamic literary movement in the Gulf, nurturing creativity and cultural enrichment across the region.