Khaberni - The Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, the cultural and social responsibility arm of the Arab Bank, announced the opening of applications for the Abdul Hameed Shoman Prize for Children's Literature in its 20th session for the year 2026.
This session features a distinct theme: "Story: Childhood, a World of Challenges," to highlight the difficulties faced by children in their daily lives and inner world, such as fear, alienation, anger, learning, and jealousy, showcasing how children overcome these challenges with determination or with the help of others, in a captivating way that blends enjoyment, imagination, and education.
The prize offers an exceptional opportunity for Arab writers to demonstrate their innovation and skills in crafting authentic stories that directly reach the young reader, while maintaining an engaging narrative style and language suitable for the age group of 6 years and above.
The prize stipulates that applicants must be of Arab nationality or Arab descent, at least 18 years old, and that the work must be in simplified classical Arabic, original, and neither adapted nor translated from another language, nor published in newspapers, periodicals, via websites, or in a printed book, and must not have been submitted for another prize or have previously won a prize.
The specific topic conditions require the story to cater to the age group of 6 years and above, and the work must be submitted under specific conditions regarding proper Arabic language usage, and word count must be between 450-600 words, using Arial font size 14.
The role of the award's scientific committee is crucial in the success of this event, as a panel of specialized experts reviews all submissions based on strict criteria that include innovation, language and style, content and ideas, renewal, and originality of work, to ensure the selection of the most impactful and inspiring stories for both children and writers alike.
The scientific committee has also announced that the deadline for submissions is the end of March 2026.
To view the terms and criteria for applying for the prize, interested parties can visit the foundation's website at https://shoman.org/Writers-Award.
The prize is awarded annually in the field of children's literature in one of the following literary arts: "story, poetry, novel, children's playtext," consisting of a certificate in the winner's name and the literary art category they won in, a plaque bearing the name and logo of the award, in addition to a prize amount of (18) thousand dinars, distributed as follows: first place: (10) thousand dinars, second place: (5) thousand dinars, and third place: (3) thousand dinars.
The Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, the cultural and social responsibility arm of the Arab Bank, has been organizing the award annually since 2006 for writers in the Arab world and globally, as it is a cultural institution focused on investing in cognitive, cultural, and social creativity to contribute to the advancement of societies in the Arab world through leadership thought, arts, and innovation.
