The Emirates Writers Union (EWU) honoured the winners of the 16th edition of the Ghanem Ghobash Short Story Award for 2025 during a ceremony held on the evening of Saturday, 21 June 2025, at the Sharjah Book Authority Theatre.

The event was attended by the members of the award’s board, led by Dr. Sultan Al Amimi, Chairman of the Union, and Sheikha Al Jabri, Deputy Chairperson of the union and Secretary General of the Award.

In his keynote address, Dr. Al Amimi expressed pride in the continued growth of the award and the evolving quality of submissions. He praised the jury’s professional efforts in evaluating the works according to rigorous artistic standards.

“This award is not merely a celebration of the short story as an art form,” he said, “but a continuation of a cultural vision that honours genuine creativity. We deeply appreciate the jury’s pivotal role and their transparent, thoughtful evaluation process.”

Dr. Al Amimi also announced the launch of the Emirates Short Story Festival next year, an initiative by the Writers Union aimed at creating a broader platform to celebrate the short story and support emerging voices across the UAE.

Sheikha Al Jabri, in her remarks, underscored the award’s value to the literary community. “Today, we honour the talented short story writers who have distinguished themselves through this award, which was established by the Writers Union in memory of the late Ghanem Ghobash, a pioneer of culture and creativity in our beloved nation.”

Speaking on behalf of Jury Chairperson Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Dr. Badia Al Hashemi, a jury member, noted the remarkable participation in this year’s edition. “The award attracted a strong response from writers, with 60 individual stories and 9 collections submitted—exceeding the number of entries in the previous edition’s first category. The jury began deliberations in May, evaluating the submissions according to the technical and artistic criterai outlined by the award’s secretariat.”

Dr. Al Amimi and Sheikha Al Jabri presented awards to the winners. Abeer Ahmed Al Harthi took first place in the individual short story category for “The Most Rhetoric Sentence in the Market”. Second place award went to Khawla Awadh Al Kaabi for “Room Four”, and third place to Taleb Ghuloom Taleb for “The Hunger Game”.

Special recognition was also given to Mohammed Yusuf Zainal for “The Best Possible Worlds”, Sheikha Al Kuwaiti for “Saloom Al Mainoon”, and Hind Saif Al Bar for “Resignation Request”. In the short story collection category, the winners were Obaid Bu Melha for “As You Like It”, and Dr. Latifa Al Hajj for “The Son of the Oasis”.