Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Kanz Al Jeel Award, organised by Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has named the winners of the 2024 edition. The works submitted across all four categories of the award’s third edition reflected the authentic values of Nabati poetry, showcasing its role in preserving the region’s heritage and history.

His Excellency Saood Al Hosani, Undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “The Kanz Al Jeel Award has continued to flourish, drawing ever more groundbreaking submissions and exceptional works that beautifully celebrate Nabati poetry and the rich tapestry of Emirati and Arab heritage. This award not only resonates deeply within our community but also strengthens its standing as a vital expression of the UAE’s cultural legacy and Arab identity.

“The award lives up to its name, which is inspired from a poem by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE. The award fosters a unique blend of creativity, thought, and critique, cultivating a vibrant poetic, artistic, and intellectual movement that honours and builds upon Sheikh Zayed’s enduring creative vision.”

Artist Mahsa Davachi from Iran won the award in the Arts category for her painting United Arab Emirates, selected for its disciplined composition, texture, proportions of anatomy of the letter, and use of colour harmony. The painting also stood out for its background work, achieving the golden ratio in relation to the primary composition.

Emirati poet Ateeq Khalfan Alkaabi won the Poetic Publications category for his collection Signatures, published by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Initiative for Literary Creativity in 2021. His poems were recognised for blending modernity and tradition, offering readers a rich human experience and deep philosophical reflections, while staying true to traditional poetic styles in terms of format and image construction. The richness of the poet’s vocabulary also adds great literary value to the entire experience.

Saudi poet Faisal Al Oteibi won in the Poetry Matching category for his poem Al Sheikh Nad, which calls on the youth to adhere to religion, customs and traditions, take pride in their national identity, and embrace education and science as a means to serve the nation. Al Oteibi’s poem met all the artistic criteria for the category, maintaining a beautiful poetic style and offering a powerful choice of vocabulary that, coupled with rhythm and other linguistic elements, portrayed strength, courage, authenticity, and traditional values.

In the Creative Personality category, renowned Japanese calligrapher Fuad Kouichi Honda was honoured for his contributions to Arabic calligraphy in practice, theory, awareness, and instruction through the curriculum he developed for teaching Arabic language and Arabic calligraphy.

Honda is one of the most prominent calligraphers in the world, whose works have been displayed in prestigious global exhibitions, earning him multiple awards and recognitions. Renowned for skillfully blending Japanese and Arabic cultures in his art, his approach has been the subject of extensive study and the topic of various works that explored it from artistic and cultural perspectives.

His Excellency Dr Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, said: “The calibre and diversity of the works submitted for the Kanz Al Jeel award from all around the world reflect the significant prestige and credibility the award has come to enjoy. In just three editions, it has attracted high-caliber contributions from renowned scholars and creators whose works deeply resonate with the heritage of Nabati and folk poetry, reflecting the values intrinsic to this cultural legacy.

“The Kanz Al Jeel award bridges a gap in supporting creativity and inspiring new generations to build on their ancestral heritage, and enrich it with studies and works of poetry, literature, visual arts, and Arabic calligraphy, while also translating it to various world languages. The award has become a beacon for poets, writers, researchers, and visual artists, among others, to showcase their creativity and intellectual creations. This aligns with our mission at the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to elevate Arabic as a language of arts, creativity, and cultural influence.”

His Excellency Abdullah Majed Al Ali, Director General of the National Library and Archives, Chairman of the Kanz Al Jeel award Higer Committee, said: “The award adheres to the highest standards of governance, efficiency, and integrity in evaluating the submissions, especially given the vast diversity and the great number of inspiring entries it receives, which require precise criteria to select the winners.”

“The Kanz Al Jeel award honours the winners and values their efforts and contributions in reviving this authentic form of heritage, which represents both the memory and future of generations.”

The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on 20 November 2024 at the Zayed Central Library in Al Ain, as part of the Al Ain Book Festival, which the ALC is organising from 17-23 November. The event will be held under notable patronage and attendance, reflecting the importance of the award and its role in upholding the late Sheikh Zayed’s inspiring poetic legacy, his vision, and the intellectual and cultural depth of his poems, preserving them as a valuable resource for future generations to build upon in the nation’s journey towards leadership and excellence.

The winner of the Creative Personality category will be honoured with a gold medal bearing the award’s emblem, a certificate of appreciation, and a cash prize of AED500,000, while winners in other categories will receive a gold medal, a certificate of appreciation, and a cash prize of AED200,000.

The Kanz Al Jeel Award aims to support artforms related to Nabati poetry and the Arabic language, honouring creators in fields such as music, folk singing, painting, Arabic calligraphy, and research. It celebrates their achievements that reflect the richness of the Arabic language and contribute to enriching and preserving Nabati poetry, passing it on to future generations.

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