Abu Dhabi’s Sard Al Thahab Award Celebrates Storytellers from Around the World
The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has concluded the nominations stage for the second edition of the Sard Al Thahab Award. This award honors narrators of biographies, literature, and folk tales in the UAE and across the Arab world, highlighting Emirati and Arab folk and narrative arts.
In its second edition, the Award received 1,213 nominations from 34 countries, including 19 Arab nations, marking a 23% growth in submissions compared to the first edition in 2023. This year saw first-time participations from countries like Russia, the UK, Turkey, Australia, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Mali, the Netherlands, Myanmar, and the Philippines. Egypt led among Arab countries in submissions, followed by Morocco, Algeria, Syria, the UAE, Iraq, and Jordan. The highest non-Arab submissions came from Turkey and the United States.
The Award’s Reading Committee, chaired by Emirati writer and media personality Ali Obaid Al Hamli, reviewed and evaluated the submissions. The Committee includes academic Dr. Ali Al Kaabi, author and screenwriter Mohammed Ahmed Hassan, and writer-researcher Walid Alaa El Din.
Ali Obaid Al Hamli stated, “The Sard Al Thahab Award has contributed to establishing a literary and artistic movement rooted in the intellectual and literary heritage of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE.” He added that the award aims to preserve Emirati and Arab heritage by discovering and recognizing talent in various narrative fields.
The Short Story for Unpublished Stories category received the highest number of submissions, accounting for 61% of total applications with 743 entries. This was followed by the Short Story for Published Stories category with 196 nominations, the Illustrated Story category with 121 submissions, the Popular Narratives category with 92 entries, Emirati Narration with 39, and the Narrators category with 22 nominations.
Once the Committee completes its work, the judging committees will conduct a thorough review and evaluation of the submitted works. The assessment reports will then be raised to the Higher Committee to select shortlisted entries.
The Sard Al Thahab Award celebrates talented individuals who have documented the history of folk heritage and the UAE’s development over the decades. It aims to protect folk narrative arts to strengthen the sense of identity among future generations and to highlight visual narratives that document life in the UAE and the Arab world through photography and cinema. The Award seeks to revive the art of folk tales, storytelling, and epic narratives, expressing them in a contemporary artistic form and highlighting the unique characteristics, beauty, and wisdom of our ancestors.
Doubts Revealed
Abu Dhabi -: Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a country in the Middle East.
Sard Al Thahab Award -: The Sard Al Thahab Award is a special prize given to people who are really good at telling stories, like biographies, literature, and folk tales.
Arabic Language Centre -: The Arabic Language Centre is an organization in Abu Dhabi that works to promote and preserve the Arabic language and its culture.
nominations -: Nominations are when people suggest or put forward someone or something for a prize or award.
biographies -: Biographies are stories about a person’s life, written by someone else.
folk tales -: Folk tales are traditional stories passed down through generations, often involving magical events or talking animals.
heritage -: Heritage refers to the traditions, culture, and history that are passed down from previous generations.
narrative arts -: Narrative arts are forms of art that tell a story, like writing, storytelling, and sometimes even movies or plays.
Short Story for Unpublished Stories -: This is a category in the award for short stories that have not been published or printed in books or magazines yet.
judging process -: The judging process is when a group of people, called judges, read and evaluate the stories to decide who will win the award.
