{
  "id": 14891701,
  "title": "Winners of 12th Katara Prize for Arabic Novel honoured",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/winners-of-12th-katara-prize-for-arabic-novel-honoured",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-16T06:34:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Peninsula Qatar",
    "slug": "the-peninsula-qatar",
    "url": "https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/16/10/2026/winners-of-12th-katara-prize-for-arabic-novel-honoured"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Katara Cultural Village Foundation announced the winners of the 12th Katara Prize for Arabic Novel during a ceremony at the Katara Opera House. The prize, awarded in various categories, celebrated exceptional Arabic literary works.\n\nIn the published Arabic novels category, Samar Nour of Egypt won for 'Asha the Scarab and the Moon', Maha Abdulaziz Abdullah Al-Yamani of Saudi Arabia for 'My Hands Do Not Tremble', and Muhannad Rajab Al-Dabi of Sudan for 'The Siege of Gazelle Waw'. Each took home $30,000, with their novels set to be translated into English.\n\nThe unpublished novels category saw Sarah Selti of Algeria win for 'We Might Meet', Huda Al-Mashharawi of Palestine for 'Death Has Another Day', and Nasser Al-Sharif of Saudi Arabia for 'The Voice That Never Reached Ziryab'. Like their published counterparts, these authors also received $30,000, with their works to be published and translated into English.\n\nCritics in the studies and literary criticism category included Dr. Amal Younis Muhammad Irheim of Palestine, Dr. Hamid El-Kattani of Morocco, and Dr. Mahmoud Farghali of Egypt. Each received $30,000, with the prize committee responsible for printing, publication, and marketing of the studies.\n\nYoung adult novelists Khadija Telli of Algeria, Dr. Manal Taha Ahmed Al-Jarash of Yemen, and Hany El-Qot of Egypt each won $15,000 for 'The Tailor of Tolga', 'Sunglasses', and 'The Kingdom of Stone', respectively.\n\nNoha Fahim of Egypt and Khalaf Al-Khalaf were recognized for a historical novel and a Qatari novel, respectively. General Manager of the Katara Cultural Village Foundation, Professor Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, praised the winners as ambassadors of Arabic culture, encouraging all to continue participating in the literary pursuit, affirming that participation is a victory for culture and the Arabic language.\n\nThe 12th edition of the prize recorded a record-breaking 2,610 entries, with 1,488 unpublished novels, highlighting Katara's role as a platform for rising writers. Entries from the Gulf region totaled 245, showcasing the growth of Gulf narrative literature, alongside significant participation from Egypt, Sudan, the Levant, the Maghreb, and non-Arab countries. Director-General of ALECSO, Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, thanked Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for his patronage of culture and creativity, praising Qatar's pioneering role in advancing Arab culture.",
  "summary": "<p>Doha: The Katara Cultural Village Foundation announced the winners of the 12th edition of the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel during a ceremony held at the Katara Opera House. The event was attended by several ministers, ambassadors, diplomatic representatives, writers, intellectuals, media figures and members of the public.</p> <p>In the published Arabic novels category, the winners are Samar…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}