RIYADH: The winners of the second Literary Creativity competition organized by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission were announced at a ceremony in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
The competition honored “outstanding performers across four literary disciplines” and is intended to “advance talent development and celebrate exceptional practitioners,” the SPA said.
The competition honored outstanding performers across four literary disciplines at King Fahd Cultural Center. (SPA)
Abdullatif Al-Wasel, the commission’s CEO, presided over the event at King Fahd Cultural Center. He “reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to cultivating university-level talent as essential for the growth of Saudi literature” and described the competition as “a vital platform for students to share perspectives, enhance literary skills, and inspire emerging creators across diverse disciplines.”
Al-Wasel highlighted collaborative efforts between the commission and academic institutions to support literary development, noting that the honorees “serve as role models for future generations and strengthen Saudi literature’s cultural impact.”
HIGHLIGHT
Al-Wasel presented awards to the top three winners in each category, and gave away a total of SR1.2 million ($320,000) in prize money. In each category, the winner received SR150,000, with SR100,000 and SR50,000 to those in second and third place respectively.
He concluded by thanking Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, who is also chairman of the commission, for his support of the cultural sector.
The competition honored outstanding performers across four literary disciplines at King Fahd Cultural Center. (SPA)
Al-Wasel presented awards to the top three winners in each category, and gave away a total of SR1.2 million ($320,000) in prize money. In each category, the winner received SR150,000, with SR100,000 and SR50,000 to those in second and third place respectively.
In classical poetry, Ahmed Al-Turki claimed first place, followed by Luay Al-Makrami and Faisal Al-Qaisi.
In Nabati poetry, Hani Al-Otaibi was the winner, with Muteb Al-Sulami as runner-up and Abdullah Al-Harthi in third.
In the novel category, Amira Al-Subaie came first, Zainab Al-Qaisoum second, and Mahdi Al-Abdulatif third.
In the short story category, Raihana Al-Saadan took first place, followed by Fatima Al-Darwish and Rana Al-Juhani.
The Literary Creativity competition, the SPA wrote, “reflects the commission’s mission to energize the Kingdom’s literary scene and showcase emerging talent across creative writing disciplines” while “supporting cultural heritage preservation and literature’s integration into society … reinforcing Saudi literature’s global presence and cultural influence.”
