The winners of the 19th edition (2024–2025) of the Sultan bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award will share testimonies about their creative journeys and sign their latest books published by the Foundation. Portraits of each winner will be displayed at the permanent exhibition hall.The event will take place at 7pm on Tuesday, November 11, at the Al Owais Foundation’s Headquarters on Al Rigga Street in Dubai.
In keeping with the long-standing tradition of the Award, the Foundation publishes a book for each winner or reprints one of their out-of-print works. This year, the collected poetic works of Iraqi poet Hamid Said, winner of the Poetry Award, have been printed. Iraqi novelist Inaam Kachachi, winner of the Short Story, Novel and Drama Award, will present her book “Lorna: Her Years with Jawad Selim”.Moroccan critic Dr Hamid Lahmidani, recipient of the Literary Criticism and Studies Award, will see the publication of his book “Contemporary Literary Criticism: Reality and Prospects”. Tunisian historian Dr Abdeljelil Al Tamimi, who won the Humanities and Future Studies Award, will present his work “Studies in the Maghreb’s Ottoman History in the Sixteenth Century”.
Alongside the main event, portrait paintings of the prize winners will be exhibited, created by renowned artists. Artist Ali Al Maamar painted the portrait of poet Hamid Said, while artist Fawaz Arnaout painted the portrait of author Inaam Kachachi; Mohammed Hussein painted critic Dr Hamid Lahmidani’s portrait, and Babu Ramchandra painted the portrait of historian Dr Abdeljelil Al Tamimi.
As part of the awards programme, the Foundation has organised a series of events. On Tuesday, November 11, at 11am, a dialogue session with critic Dr Hamid Lahmidani will be held at the Foundation, moderated by Dr Ahmed Al Mansouri. On Wednesday, November 12, at 7pm, novelist Inaam Kachachi will take part in a panel discussion moderated by Emirati novelist Salha Obeid at the “Thought Hall” during the Sharjah International Book Fair 2025.
The awards ceremony honouring the winners will be held at 8pm on Thursday, 13 November, at the InterContinental Hotel. As part of the evening, the Fujairah Fine Arts Academy Orchestra will perform a live concert featuring 45 musicians and vocalists, presenting a selection of classical Arabic music.
