The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has announced the opening of the submissions stage for the fourth edition of its Kanz Al Jeel Award, with nominations now accepted until 31 May 2025.

Since its inception in 2021, the Kanz Al Jeel Award has established itself as a significant cultural touchstone contributing to the preservation and revival of Arab cultural heritage and celebrating its profound depth and diversity.

His Excellency Dr Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC, said, "Drawing inspiration from the unique literary and cultural legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE, Kanz Al Jeel fosters a deep sense of cultural belonging among younger generations. The Award has emerged as a benchmark in the region’s cultural movement, attracting works from leading writers and creators. It plays a pivotal role in achieving our objectives at the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre to promote the Arabic language and support its various forms of creative expression, including writing and translation, on a global stage".

HE Bin Tamim stressed that the fourth edition of the Award builds on the remarkable success of its previous instalments, continuing its efforts to recognise creative works and restore the prominence of Nabati poetry, arts, and related studies, as part of a broader mission to revive and promote Arab culture.

He added, "As the Award enters a new phase in its journey, it cements its status as a premier cultural platform that bridges poetry and heritage, reflecting our cultural legacy and reviving the distinguished role poetry plays in shaping culture and knowledge in society".

The Kanz Al Jeel Award derives its mission from the poems of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed, which highlight the role of poetry as a mirror of Emirati and Arab society. The Award also honours outstanding contributions in Nabati poetry - a fundamental element of Arab identity - in addition to publishing and promoting distinguished works in the field.

Furthermore, the Award aims to uphold the values embodied in Sheikh Zayed’s verses, emphasising their aesthetic and human significance, while shedding light on their influence on Emirati and Arab culture. It also contributes to preserving folklore and traditional arts by strengthening the younger generations’ connection to their cultural heritage, and generating interest in artforms linked to Nabati poetry, such as music, folk singing, visual arts, and Arabic calligraphy.

The Kanz Al Jeel Award sets general eligibility criteria for candidates and submitted works, including that candidates must have actively contributed to enriching and developing the local and Arab poetic, critical, or artistic movements. Meanwhile, submitted works must demonstrate a high degree of authenticity and innovation, representing a significant addition to human culture and knowledge.

Each work may be submitted for only one award category, and entries should not have participated in any other competition or received another award in the same year. Submissions must be written in Arabic, except in the Translation and Studies and Research categories, where translations from Arabic into other languages or studies written in other languages are accepted. Additionally, submitted works must have been published within the past five years and have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) to protect intellectual property rights.

Eligibility criteria also stipulate that works that have previously won major Arab or international awards will not be accepted, and that submitted books or artworks will not be returned to their owners. The Award additionally reserves the right to publish submitted works after reviewing and assessing their potential for publication.

The Award’s committee selects a specific artform for the Arts category every year, inviting individuals and institutions to participate if their artworks belong under the selected artform. If a nominated work does not win, it may be resubmitted five years after the cycle in which it previously competed.

For this year’s edition, the Poetry Matching category will be awarded to a poem that successfully emulates Sheikh Zayed’s poem ‘Li Sarat mi al-Ain Sarrayah’, maintaining the same rhyme, theme, and number of verses as the original, while demonstrating a comparable level in terms language, imagery, and rhythm. Meanwhile, the Poetic Publications category honours a Nabati poetry collection that is authentic in both form and content, and that represents a valuable contribution to the genre. The Translation category recognises works that translate Sheikh Zayed’s poetry into another language or works that have made a significant impact on the translation of Arabic poetry into other languages.

The Arts category is awarded to an artwork that employs visual and technological tools to interpret, perform, or embody Sheikh Zayed’s poetry and Nabati poetry. This includes Arabic calligraphy, visual arts, short films, and musical or vocal performances. Artists may apply with works that correspond to the artform specified by the Award’s committee for each cycle.

The Creative Personality category honours an individual who has made significant and influential contributions to Nabati poetry, its study, and related fields such as music, singing, painting, and Arabic calligraphy. It may also be awarded to an institution or entity that has made impactful contributions to these areas and provided valuable services to poetry.

Finally, the Studies and Research category is dedicated to scholarly studies on Nabati poetry that examine its stylistic features, themes, and linguistic structure using a scientific approach.

In a ceremony held in November 2024, Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, honoured winners of the third edition of the Kanz Al Jeel Award, which offers a total prize pool of AED1.5 million.

Last year’s cycle received 600 entries from 24 countries, including 19 Arab nations, recording a remarkable 128% increase in participation compared to the previous edition.

Winners included Saudi poet Faisal Al Oteibi, who won the Poetry Matching category for his poem ‘Al Sheikh Nad’, and Emirati poet Ateeq Khalfan Alkaabi, who won the Poetic Publications category for his collection Signatures.

Meanwhile, Artist Mahsa Davachi from Iran won the Award in the Arts category for her painting titled United Arab Emirates, and renowned Japanese calligrapher Fuad Honda was honoured in the Creative Personality category for his outstanding contributions to Arabic calligraphy.