Sheikh Sultan honours one of the winners of the Sharjah Award for Arabic Poetry on Monday. WAM

His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, on Monday witnessed the opening activities of the 20th edition of the Sharjah Arabic Poetry Festival, organised by the Department of Culture, with the participation of more than 70 poets, critics and media representatives representing several Arab countries. Being held at the Cultural Palace, the Festival will continue for until Jan.14.

The tribute ceremony opened with a film briefing bios of the poets honored at the festival, and highlighting their most prominent achievements, their most important poetic works and their tireless efforts in the world of Arabic poetry, which led them to win the Sharjah Award for Arabic Poetry. The poets, in the film, valued the role of Sharjah and its Ruler in sponsoring poetry in the Arab world through poetry houses and poetry festivals, and honoring poets.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah then honoured the winners of the Sharjah Award for Arabic Poetry-2024 in its 12th edition, namely Ali Al Shaali from the United Arab Emirates, and Aref Al Saadi from the Republic of Iraq.

Sheikh Sultan also honoured the winners of the Sharjah Award for Arabic Poetry Criticism in its third edition, where the first place was won by the Tunisian critic Moncef Ouhaibi for his research “The Structure of Poetic Discourse in Contemporary Arabic Poetry between Allegorical and Metaphorical”. While the second place was won by the Moroccan critic Anouar Benyaich for his research 'The Structure of Tandem & Contrast in Contemporary Arabic Poetry: a Study in the Poetry of Parallelism'.

The third place was won by the Moroccan critic Hussein Benbada for his research “The Structure of Discourse in Experimental Arabic Poetry.”