The Kanz Al Jeel Award Higher Committee at the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), has concluded its meeting to review the judging panel recommendations The Kanz Al Jeel Award was launched by the (ALC), in 2022 to honour works related to the Nabati poetry, its translation, and creative industries.

The Higher Committee meeting was attended by Dr Ali Saeed Al Kaabi, Chairman, and members HE Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the ALC; Prof Dr Aisha Al Shamsi, Emirati academic, critic, poet; Hassan Zaki, Egyptian composer, artist, and researcher; Saudi academic and researcher in Nabati women’s poetry, Dr Munira Al Ghadeer; and Committee Rapporteur Abdulrahman Mohamed Al-Naqbi, Director of the ALC’s Literary Awards Department.

Dr Al Kaabi said: "In view of the increasing number of submissions and growing local and global turnout, the task has not been easy for the Committee, as we were keen to select the best and most illuminating works representing the heritage and values of Nabati poetry. The Higher Committee of the Award included a prominent group of experts and specialists to conduct consultations and evaluations in accordance with the criteria, conditions and transparent judgments of the Award. I am confident that the 2023 winners embody our mission to revive Nabati poetry as a key element of Emirati and Arab cultural identity and promote this art form’s progress."

For the 2023 edition, 264 submissions were received across the Award’s six categories, representing 27 countries, including 17 Arab nations and 10 other countries, – a growth rate of 13% compared to the first edition, which received 234 submissions. This year has seen the participation of new countries from around the world including China, Comoros, Dominica, Libya, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

The Award also received translation works in various languages this year, including English, German, Russian, and Turkish. This expansion beyond English, the sole language in the first cycle, showcases Kanz Al Jeel’s growing global impact.

The shortlists is set to be announced within the next few weeks for the award’s six categories. The Kanz Al Jeel Award is awarded to researchers and creators who have produced works related to the heritage of Nabati poetry, aiming to promote this distinctive branch of poetry and highlight prominent poets. It also seeks to enhance the sense of national identity between generations by bridging poetry, culture and arts related to Nabati poetry.