Rashid bin Hamdan bin Zayed Honors Sard Al Thahab Award 2024 Winners

Photo : Abu Dhabi Media Office

Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan supported the second Sard Al Thahab Award 2024. The event took place at Al Dhafra Fort and was organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre. Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Zayed honoured the winners during the special ceremony. The award celebrated traditional storytelling, writers, and artists.

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The winners were announced in different categories. Yas Al-Fahdawi from Iraq won first place in the Unpublished Short Stories category for his story Rooms with People Running Underneath Them. Abdulrahman Abbas from Sudan won first place in the Published Short Stories category for his story The Last Storyteller in This Time.

Dr Dheya Abdulla Khamis AlKaabi from Bahrain won first place in the Popular Narratives category for her story Bahraini Folk Tales: One Thousand and One Tales. Iraqi artist Mahmoud Shubber won the Illustrated Story award for his painting Antara and Abla.

Obeid bin Sandal from the UAE won first place in the Narrators category because of his role in Emirati storytelling and his efforts to promote local culture. American researcher Roy Casagranda won first place in the Emirati Narration category for his research about Arab culture and knowledge transfer to other countries.

Many officials attended the event. His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi; His Excellency Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi; His Excellency Dr Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre; His Excellency Ali Obaid Al Hameli, Chairman of the Sard Al Thahab Award Supreme Committee; and His Excellency Nasser Mohammed Al Mansouri, Undersecretary of the Ruler’s Representative Court in Al Dhafra Region, all attended the event.

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak said that the award is important because it celebrates creativity and storytelling. He added that storytelling is a key part of the UAE and Arab culture.

Dr Ali bin Tamim explained how the award has grown in popularity. This year, the organisers received 1,213 entries from 34 countries, including 19 Arab countries. This number is 23 per cent more than last year.

Ali Obaid Al Hameli congratulated the winners and talked about the importance of the award in preserving traditional Arab culture and storytelling. He also spoke about the UAE's efforts to support creativity and culture.

The Sard Al Thahab Award was first launched in 2022 by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre. Its aim is to support Arabic storytelling and recognise the efforts of authors, narrators, and artists. The award also focuses on teaching the younger generation about traditional storytelling and making sure this important cultural art continues for future generations.

The award has inspired many people and shown the value of storytelling in preserving Arab history and culture.