ABU DHABI, 30th October, 2026 (WAM) — The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has announced the shortlists for the Kanz Al Jeel Award’s fifth edition (2026), featuring 18 works from eight countries across four categories.
The winners will be selected from the shortlists at the upcoming meeting of the award’s Board of Trustees, with the awards ceremony scheduled to take place during the Al Ain Book Festival next month.
This year’s award attracted submissions from 35 countries, including five participating for the first time: Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Indonesia and Spain.
The award’s Higher Committee, chaired by Prof. Dr. Aysha Al Shamsi, including poet Ali Al Sabaan, Dr. Muntasir Al Hamdan, poet Obaid bin Qadlan Al Mazrouei, Dr Abdullah bin Ghlais, and Waleed Alaeddin (rapporteur), approved the shortlists following a thorough review of judges’ reports.
The selection included six works in the Arts category, four in Poetry Publications, five in Poetry Matching, and three in Studies and Research.
The shortlist for the Arts category included six artworks: ‘Reem Al Azayib’ by Muneera Naji from the UAE, ‘Dar Al Habayib’ by Bana Safar from Syria; ‘Ya Dhi’dhaa Al-Hibaayib’ by Musaab Al Doori from Iraq; ‘Maqam Al Habeeb’ by Somaia Azeez from Iraq; a painting also titled ‘Ya Dhi’dhaa Al-Hibaayib’ by Abdelaziz Lourhraz from Morocco; and ‘Khitab Al Ashq’ by Mahmoud Shubar from Iraq.
The Poetry Matching category witnessed strong competition among participants, with the Committee selecting five poems: ‘Al Hakeem Al Sayib’ by Ahmed Khalifa Al Kaabi from the UAE, ‘Shawq Al Habayib’ by Ali Al Khawar from the UAE, ‘Dhi’dhaa Al-Hibaayib’ by Khaled Al Otaibi from Saudi Arabia, ‘Hab Al Hawa’ by Oudah Al Ghamdi from Saudi Arabia, and ‘Ya Hattan Al Sahayib’ by Majed Al Mutairi from Kuwait.
In the Poetic Publications category, four poetry collections were shortlisted: ‘Baynouna’ by Hazza Ali Abualreesh from the UAE, published by Dar Hamaleel in 2025; ‘Journey of Emotions’ by Mahdi Al Atawi from Saudi Arabia, published by the Department of Culture of Sharjah, in 2025; ‘The City Alone Bears All the Reproach’ by poet Abdul Aziz Al Sadi from the Sultanate of Oman, published by the Cultural Club Muscat in 2024; and ‘Sabbar’ by Hassan Al Hosani from the Sultanate of Oman, published by Dar Nather in 2026.
In the Studies and Research category, which bridges the transition of Nabati poetry from an oral tradition to systematic documentation, the Committee selected three entries, including ‘Communicative Language in the Poetry of Sheikh Zayed’ by Dr Riyad bin Nasser Al Fraiji from Saudi Arabia, published by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage in 2025, and ‘A Glossary of Classical Words in the Colloquial Speech of the Emirati People’ by Surour Khalifa Al Kaabi from the UAE, published by Nabati Publishing in 2026.
The list also featured ‘Presence of “the Other” Between Classical and Nabati Poetry in the Arabian Gulf’ by Dr Ahmed Mubarak Salem from Bahrain, published by Al Ayam Publishing in 2025.
The committee has decided to withhold the Translation category award for this year’s edition.
The next stage will see the announcement of the winners, while the Award’s Board of Trustees will select the Creative Personality of the Year.
The Kanz Al Jeel Award forms part of ALC’s efforts to promote Arabic language and Emirati culture, encourage literary creativity and support the preservation and publication of Arabic and folk literature.
Source: Emirates News Agency