Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity 2026/2027 with Prizes of Up to $6,000
Applicant criteria
- 18 - 40
- Both
Opportunity criteria
Opportunity description
The Department of Culture of the Government of Sharjah has opened applications for the 30th edition of the Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity – First Edition 2026/2027, one of the international awards and competitions dedicated to discovering and supporting emerging literary talent in the UAE and across the Arab world, as well as Arabist writers.
The award is intended for works that represent the author’s first publication in the category in which they are applying, provided that the manuscript has not been previously published in a book, newspaper, periodical, or website, has not won another competition, and is not being submitted simultaneously to another competition. The current edition includes six literary categories: Classical Arabic Poetry, Short Story, Novel, Playwriting, Children’s Literature, and Literary Criticism.
Award Categories
- Classical Arabic Poetry: A poetry collection containing at least 15 poems.
- Short Story: A collection containing at least 12 short stories.
- Novel.
- Playwriting.
- Children’s Literature: A collection of stories aimed at children aged 6 to 8 for this edition.
- Literary Criticism: A study on visual discourse in children’s stories for this edition.
Benefits
Prizes are awarded in each of the six categories as follows:
- First Place: USD 6,000.
- Second Place: USD 4,000.
- Third Place: USD 3,000.
- The top three winners in each category will be invited to attend the award ceremony and participate in a specialized creative workshop.
- The Sharjah Department of Culture will publish all winning works, while retaining the rights to the first edition.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants are eligible to apply if they:
- Are from the United Arab Emirates or another Arab country; the award also accepts submissions from Arabist writers.
- Are between 18 and 40 years old.
- Submit the work in Modern Standard Arabic.
- Submit their first work in the category for which they are applying.
- Submit a work that has not previously been published in a book, newspaper, periodical, or website.
- Submit a work that has not won a similar competition.
- Submit a work that has not been presented as part of a university degree requirement.
- Do not submit the same work simultaneously to another competition.
- Participate in only one category of the award.
- Comply with the religious and ethical values specified in the award’s terms and conditions.
Required Documents and Attachments
Applicants must prepare:
- A CV in Arabic including details of their main literary achievements and publications.
- A declaration confirming that they have no previous publication in the category for which they are applying and that the submitted manuscript has not been published or won another award.
- The official application form.
- A copy of the passport clearly showing the issue and expiry dates.
- A personal photo for official use.
- An electronic copy of the work in Word format, in addition to the required printed copies when submitting by mail.
Discover the Best AI Tools to Support Your Studies and Work
For more international writing competitions