The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation has announced that nominations for the 20th edition of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award will remain open until August1.
The Foundation said creative figures may nominate themselves directly to the award’s General Secretariat, while five Arab writers may jointly nominate a candidate whom they deem worthy of the prize, subject to the nominee’s approval when contacted by the Award’s General Secretariat.
Established in 1987 by the late Emirati poet Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais, the award is an independent and impartial prize whose selection criteria are based solely on creative achievement.
With a total value of $750,000, distributed at $150,000 for each category, the award aims to encourage and honour Arab writers, thinkers, scholars and intellectuals in recognition of their contributions to cultural, literary and scientific advancement across the Arab world.
The award value was increased from the 19th edition to coincide with the centenary celebrations of Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais (1925-2025), which were commemorated by UNESCO over the course of past year.
The prestigious Arab award was initially worth $50,000 for each winner. The prize was increased to $100,000 in its second edition, then to $120,000 in the ninth edition, before rising to $150,000 for each winner from the 19th edition onward.
The award categories include Poetry; Short Story, Novel and Drama; Literary Studies and Criticism; and Humanities and Future Studies, in addition to the Achievement Award. The first four categories are subject to judging panels, while the Achievement Award is selected directly by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and honours an individual or an institution that has made a lasting impact on cultural, scientific or public life.
Since its establishment, the award has honoured 110 winners, including creative figures, distinguished personalities and institutions. The most recent edition recognised poet Hamid Said in the Poetry category, novelist Inaam Kachachi in the Short Story, Novel and Drama category, while critic Hamid Lahmadani was recognised in Literary Studies and Criticism, and thinker Abdeljelil Al Tamimi in Humanities and Future studies.
In its 19th edition, the award honoured His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with the Achievement Award, in a move that further reinforced the prize’s standing on the Arab cultural scene through its distinguished choices and enduring contribution to Arab culture.
