The General Secretariat of the Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Cultural Foundation has announced the opening of nominations for the 18th edition of the Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain Poetic Creativity Award for the year 2021. The award encompasses five categories: "Best Poem, Best Poetry Collection, Best Book in Poetry Critique, Best Poetry Collection for Young Poets, and Best Poem for Young Poets," in addition to its Honorary Award for Poetic Creativity.

With a total value of 135,000 US dollars, the award aims to encourage and honor poets, recognizing their vital role in promoting poetry in the Arab world.

The Foundation outlined the specific categories of the award as follows:

1. Poetry Critique Creativity Award: Valued at 40,000 US dollars, this award is presented to an exceptional poetry critic or researcher who has contributed a significant analysis of poetic texts or presented a new perspective on a specific poetic phenomenon based on scholarly foundations. Applicants must nominate one of their own works for consideration, with the nominated work not being a master's or doctoral thesis. Additionally, the nominated work should not have been published more than ten years prior to the deadline of September 30, 2021.

2. Best Poetry Collection Award: Worth 20,000 US dollars, this award is given to the author of the best poetry collection published within the five years ending on September 30, 2021. Contestants can submit only one collection for consideration, and the collection must have been published in print.

3. Best Poem Award: Valued at 10,000 US dollars, this award is presented to the author of the best poem published in its entirety in a literary magazine, newspaper, poetry collection, or an independent book during the two years ending on September 30, 2021. Contestants can submit only one poem, and it must be accompanied by the original published source. Poems published in promotional, advertising, or electronic materials are not eligible.

4. Best Poetry Collection Award for Young Poets: Worth 10,000 US dollars, this award is open to poets under the age of 35. The submitted poetry collection must be published in print.

5. Best Poem Award for Young Poets: Valued at 5,000 US dollars, this award is open to poets under the age of 35. The submitted work must be published in print.

6. Honorary Award for Poetic Creativity: Valued at 50,000 US dollars, this award is presented to a poet who has significantly enriched the Arab poetry movement. It is not subject to regular judging but follows a special mechanism overseen by the President of the Board of Trustees, poet Abdulaziz Saud Albabtain. Only members of the Foundation's Board of Trustees are authorized to nominate individuals for this award.

The Foundation’s Secretariate mentioned that the submitted poetic work must be in Classical Arabic only. Contestants are allowed to submit their work to one branch of the award only. Each contestant should send eight copies of their submitted work for the award. Collaborative works involving more than one individual are not accepted. The deadline for submitting to the award branches is September 30, 2021, and the results will be announced in the first half of 2022.

The Foundation mentioned that detailed information about the competition and the mailing address can be found on its website through the following link: https://www.albabtaincf.org/prize2021