Strengthening regional literary voices
Speaking to Sharjah24, Ghabash said she hopes the award continues to serve as a platform for spotlighting literary talent and showcasing the creative achievements of women across the GCC and the wider Arab world. She added that the award gives every winning writer the recognition she deserves, which, in turn, has driven both a rise in the number of entries and greater diversity among them, along with a clear improvement in their intellectual and literary calibre.

Winners across poetry and fiction
Dr Maha Al Otaibi, of Saudi Arabia, won the poetry category for her collection, "The House of Lovers". In the short story category, the award was shared between Estabraq Ahmed of Kuwait, for her collection "A Drone Illuminates Above My Head", and Laila Abdullah of Oman, for her collection "Index of Kings".
Fatima Al Mazrouei of the United Arab Emirates received the Jury Award in the same category for her story "Kohl Ithmid". In literary studies, Dr Wafaa Salem Al Shamsi of Oman won for her study "Cultural Features in the Modern Arabic Novel: A Critical Cultural Reading of 'Maryam's Fingers' by Aziza Al Taie".

Morocco's writers take the guest spotlight
Representing this year's guest country, Dr Salma Barahma of Morocco won for her study "Narration as Transgression and Questioning of Patriarchal Cultural Concepts in 'Cinderellas of Muscat' by Huda Hamad". Professor Zohour Karam, also from Morocco, received the jury award for her study, "The Arabic Novel and the Dialectic of Cultural Features and Structures".
The award also recognised its Cultural Personality of the Year: Emirati writer Sheikha Mubarak Al Nakhi, a pioneer of the short story in the UAE.