LitFest writing prize winners

The winners of LitFest’s competition to discover unpublished novelists were announced during the festival’s first week.

Recognised as one of the most successful writing competitions in the region, albeit in the face of not very much competition, the Emirates LitFest Writing Prize has a proven track record in finding new writing talent – no publishing deal is guaranteed, but nine winners have received one in the last nine years.

This year saw a slightly revamped format with three judges rather than one. “The LitFest Writing Prize has attracted huge interest from aspiring writers in the UAE, so this year we wanted to open it up to give more entries the opportunity to be recognised,” said festival director Ahlam Bolooki. The regulars incumbent, UK literary agent Luigi Bonomi, was joined by Sheila Crowley from Curtis Brown (one of the top agencies) and UAE based publisher Kira Jean.

Each choose one entry, giving this list of three winners:

Also announced were the winners of the School Librarian of the Year Awards – probably the most important of the prizes LitFest gives out, given the impact school librarians can have on the next generation of readers (and writers). These awards, presented by the Emirates Literature Foundation in association with The Executive Council of Dubai, recognise “individuals who have shown exceptional commitment in promoting reading for pleasure among their students and in raising academic and literacy standards in the school”.

Isobel Abulhoul, CEO and trustee of the Foundation (and LitFest’s founder), commended the work of school librarians particularly during the pandemic. “[They]. have had a heroic task since March 2020 in keeping children on track with their reading, “ she said. “This Award recognises those that have really excelled in these difficult circumstances. We are all indebted to their commitment to their role during these exceptional times and it is wonderful to be able to celebrate them and all the wonderful librarians out there who have made their students lives brighter by imparting their love of books. ”

More than 95 nominations were submitted for the two categories and resulted in these winners:

Public schools

Private schools

The Festival is building up quite a portfolio of awards and competitions that encourage and recognise. Its other initiatives includes the Voices of Future Generations, with its second anthology of stories; OUP Story Writing Competition; Children’s Letter Writing Competition; Chevron Reader’s Cup; ENBD Poetry For All; and the ELF Seddiqi Writers’ Fellowship that we highlighted last week.

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