Published On 17/10/2025
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Last update: 02:10 (Mecca time)
The General Foundation for the Cultural Village “Katara” announced the winners of the Katara Award for Arabic Fiction in its eleventh session for the year 2025, in a joyful ceremony held at the Katara Opera House, in the presence of a group of writers, intellectuals, media figures, diplomats, and an audience of those interested in cultural affairs.
In the published Arabic novels category, Hamid Al-Raqimi from Yemen won for his novel “Memory Blindness,” Rula Khaled Muhammad Ghanem from Palestine for her novel “Freedom’s Sigh,” and Muhammad Jabaiti from Palestine won for his novel “The Chef Who Devoured His Heart.” Each winner receives a financial prize of 30,000 US dollars, in addition to having his novel translated into English.
Winners in the category of Arabic novels published in #Katara_Award_for_Arabic_Novel 2025 – The eleventh session, among the activities #Katara_Arabic_Novel_FestivalIn celebration of Arab creativity and honoring the pioneers of the word who illuminated the literary scene with their distinguished works.
#The _ novel _ has _ the _ right _ of _ honor#Katara #Qatar… pic.twitter.com/xkNgy70Pl6
—I sacriving in the night | Kamit’s (@eckantan) October 16, 2025
In the unpublished novels category, the award went to Ahmed Saber Hussein from Egypt for his novel “Yafi,” Saad Muhammad from Iraq for his novel “The Shadow of the Circle,” and Maryam Gosh from Palestine for her novel “A Dream on the Edge of Galilee.” The value of each prize is $30,000, with the winning works printed and translated into English.
—I sacriving in the night | Kamit’s (@eckantan) October 16, 2025
In the category of studies concerned with novel research and criticism, 3 critics won: Dr. Sami Al-Qudah from Jordan for his study “Narrative Techniques of the Postmodern Novel (The Gulf Novel as a Model),” Dr. Abdel-Razzaq Al-Mesbahi from Morocco for his study “Responding with the Novel: A Study in Cultural Narrative Strategies,” and Dr. Muhammad Khadr from Egypt for his study. “Narrative Strategies in the Arabic Novel: The Dialectic of the Aesthetic and the Cultural in Post-Arab Spring Novels.” Each winner receives $30,000, and his study will be printed and published.
—I sacriving in the night | Kamit’s (@eckantan) October 16, 2025
In the boys’ novel category, Rabih Murshid from Syria won for his novel “Jima and Juma in Our Known Capitals,” Samira Ben Issa from Algeria for her novel “Sifar,” and Naima Fannou from Morocco for her novel “Wings of Wood.” The value of each prize is $15,000.
—I sacriving in the night | Kamit’s (@eckantan) October 16, 2025
Omar Al-Jamali from Tunisia also won in the unpublished historical novel category for his novel “Diane Bien Phu, A History of Those Neglected by History,” and Dr. Hoda Al-Naimi won in the published Qatari novel category for her novel “Zafarana.”
—I sacriving in the night | Kamit’s (@eckantan) October 16, 2025
New achievements and initiatives
In his speech during the ceremony, Director General of the Cultural Village Foundation “Katara”, Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, expressed his pride in what the award has achieved in 11 years, as it has established its position as the most important Arab platform that celebrates the art of the novel.
As the award enters its second decade, Dr. Al-Sulaiti announced a group of ambitious new projects, including the “Guest of Honor” initiative, in which the Saudi novel was chosen this year, and the “Novel Brings Us Together” project, which aims to establish creative twinning between a Qatari novelist and an Arab novelist. He also revealed the launch of a competition to transform novels into films using artificial intelligence, the Katara Youth Novel Competition for university students, in addition to the Katara International Novel Award with the aim of bringing about rapprochement between cultures.
His Excellency A. D. Khaled bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager #KataraThe winners are honored with #Katara_Award_for_Arabic_Novel 2025 – The eleventh session, among the activities #Katara_Arabic_Novel_FestivalIn an atmosphere that celebrated literature, creativity, and pioneers of the Arabic word.
—I sacriving in the night | Kamit’s (@eckantan) October 16, 2025
Dr. Al-Sulaiti told Al-Jazeera Net that the idea of the Katara International Novel Award came about 11 years after the achievement, and he added, “We decided to launch a new international award within the Katara umbrella, and it begins with unpublished novels in three languages: English, French, and Spanish, and will extend in the future to Chinese, which are widely spread languages. Spanish, for example, is spoken by most of Latin America.”
“We decided to launch a new international award within Katara’s umbrella, and it begins with unpublished novels in three languages: English, French, and Spanish, and will extend in the future to Chinese, which are widely spread languages. Spanish, for example, is spoken by most of Latin America,” Director General of the General Foundation for the Cultural Village “Katara.”
The Director General of the Cultural Village Foundation “Katara” noted that the award has witnessed an increasing demand, with more than 180 winners being crowned over the past years. Al-Sulaiti stressed that the award contributed to bringing the Arab narrative voice to the world, through UNESCO’s accreditation of the World Novel Week, and the translation project that resulted in 253 publications in Arabic, English and French.
Voices from the podium
The winners expressed their pride in this award, which will open broader horizons for their writing. Dr. Hoda Al Nuaimi, winner of the Qatari novel, told Qatar News Agency that this win is an honor for the Qatari novel. While the Yemeni novelist Hamid Al-Raqimi confirmed that this coronation is the coronation of the entire Yemeni novel.
For his part, Moroccan critic Dr. Abdel Razzaq Al-Mesbahi pointed out that winning the Katara Award represents a qualitative leap for the researcher and gives his study great scientific value.
In an impressive testimony, Palestinian novelist Dr. Rula Ghanem explained that her novel “was written in the eyes of oppression, injustice, and aggression,” and that it came to light thanks to Katara. She revealed that she was unable to send her participation on paper due to the siege, but those in charge of the award understood her situation exceptionally, considering this as support for her and the Palestinian voice in light of the unjust siege.
Today, Thursday, witnessed activities at the Katara Festival, including a symposium on “The Novel in the Horn of Africa,” and a workshop on “Techniques of Writing Historical Novel,” bringing the curtain down on a session full of creativity and discussion, confirming Katara’s pioneering role in the world of the Arab novel.
The post Katara honors the winners of the Arab Novel Awards in its 11th session culture appeared first on Veritas News.
