The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has extended the submissions deadline for the "100 Stories from Our Community" initiative June 30th, 2025, to allow more people to participate.

Launched at the 34th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF 2025), the initiative resonates with the UAE’s declaration of 2025 as the "Year of Community", as well as with the Centre’s strategic plan to promote the Arabic language and encourage the community to engage in creative expression through writing.

Through this innovative initiative, the ALC paves the way for enriching the short story genre by encouraging authors and talented individuals to write heartwarming tales inspired by community life in the UAE. The stories will be compiled into a collective publication that reflects the UAE’s spirit of tolerance and cultural diversity, celebrating the local community through literature, and strengthening the cultural landscape with stories that support social values.

Moreover, the initiative is intended to allow talented creators of all nationalities to showcase and develop their skills, which serves to strengthen the culture of writing and establish a knowledge-driven society.

"100 Stories from Our Community" marks a significant leap forward in the search for emerging creative writing talent in Arabic and English, who can then benefit from the platform that the ALC provides them to present their works to be evaluated by a specialised judging panel. The top 100 stories will ultimately be shortlisted based on quality, originality, creativity, and compliance with submission guidelines.

The programme is open to all UAE citizens and residents aged 18 or over. Submissions can be made in either Arabic or English and must be between 1,000 and 1,500 words long. Stories may be fictional or based on true events, as long as they have a connection to the UAE community and address themes such as family relations, social cohesion, and cultural diversity.

All submissions will be assessed by an independent judging panel according to quality, literary merit, and linguistic correctness prior to publication, in line with protecting the authors’ intellectual property rights.