Al-Babtain Announces Winners of the 20th Edition of the Poetry Creativity Award

The Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain Foundation for Poetic Creativity announced the winners of the 20th edition of the Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain Prize for Poetic Creativity, through which the foundation continues to support poetry, poets, and critics, enhance the status of the Arabic language, and highlight the cultural and humanitarian role of poetry in Arab societies.

In a statement to KUNA, the foundation’s board of trustees chairman, Saud Al-Babtain, said that reaching the 20th edition of the prize represents an important milestone in a cultural journey that has believed since its inception that Arabic poetry is one of the deepest manifestations of Arab identity, its living memory, and its renewed capacity to express humanity and its issues.

Al-Babtain added that the foundation views the prize as a space where poetic and critical experiences converge across different generations and schools, allowing young voices to appear alongside established experiences in a continuous creative dialogue linking the past, present, and future. He noted that care for the Arabic language remains at the core of the foundation’s mission as a patron of thought and creativity, emphasizing that supporting poets and critics is not limited to celebrating winners but reflects a belief in the necessity of continuing to discover Arabic culture’s new energies and safeguard its creative achievements.

Al-Babtain pointed out that the 20th edition’s geographical and artistic diversity, along with the presence of poets and critics from different generations, confirms Arabic poetry’s ability to renew itself, and that the Arabic poem, in all its forms and questions, remains present in consciousness and sensibility.

In the poetry criticism category, which carries a prize value of $80,000, the award was shared by Dr. Mohamed Saleh Al-Bouamrani from Tunisia for his book “Sufi Stylistics and Poetic Emotions,” and Dr. Abdelkader Fedouh from Algeria for his book “Poetry and Questions of Civilization.”

In the poetry collection category, the award for the best poetry collection, valued at $40,000, was shared equally between Egyptian poet Hassan Shahab al-Din for his collection “Planet and Fifty Galaxies” and Yemeni poet Jaber Badani for his collection “The Skirt Dancer.”

Nigerian poet Nasser Al-Maliki won the award for the best youth poetry collection (for poets under 35), valued at $20,000, for his collection “As If I Were Him.” In the best poem category, valued at $20,000, the award was shared between Iraqi poet Ali Al-Imara for his poem “The Phantasies of Imru’ al-Qais on the Road” and Egyptian poet Saad Al-Qalaaee for his poem “The Lost Party.”

In the youth category (under 35), the award for the best youth poem, valued at $10,000, was shared between Egyptian poet Hazem Mostafa for his poem “Loneliness” and Palestinian poet Sumaya Al-Wadi for her poem “Diary of Ordinary Bombing.” Additionally, the foundation’s Special Award for Creativity in Poetry, valued at $100,000, was presented to Syrian poet Abdelkader Al-Husni in recognition of his poetic career, creative output, and prominent artistic experience.