Doha, Qatar: The Katara Cultural Village Foundation has announced that the twelfth edition of the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel received 2,610 submissions, marking the highest number of submissions since the prize’s inception in 2014. The previous record was 2,321 submissions in the seventh edition (2021).
This edition included approximately 1,488 unpublished novels and 578 published novels (published in 2025). In addition, there were 303 submissions in the unpublished young adult novel category, 107 in the unpublished studies category, 11 published Qatari novels, and 123 unpublished historical novels.
Egypt and Sudan topped the list of submissions with 963 entries, followed by the Levant and Iraq with 719, and the Maghreb region in third place with 666. The Arabian Gulf region came in last with 245 entries, in addition to 17 entries from non-Arab countries.
Director General of the Katara Cultural Village Foundation Professor Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti stated that the number of submissions for the twelfth edition of the Katara Prize for Arabic Fiction reached its highest level since the prize’s inception.
He noted that these statistics were not surprising but rather aligned with their expectations that the prize, entering its second decade, would witness a significant increase in submissions.
This is due to the comprehensive nature of the prize, which offers six categories: published and unpublished novels, young adult novels, historical novels, Qatari novels, and studies related to novel criticism.
This comprehensive approach is unique to the Katara Prize for Arabic Fiction, which has qualified it to be at the forefront of literary awards not only in the Arab world but also internationally, given its success in translating winning novels into English and French. We also note an increase in the number of entries from non-Arab countries in this cycle.
Khaled Abdul Rahim Al-Sayed, the award’s general supervisor, stated that the increase in entries in this cycle encompassed all categories of the award without exception. He pointed out that Gulf entries achieved a significant leap, reaching 245 entries, including 106 from Yemen, 74 from Saudi Arabia, 24 from Oman, 11 from Kuwait, 10 from the UAE, 7 from Bahrain, and 13 from Qatar.
This indicates the flourishing of the distinctive Gulf novel, and consequently, we can expect a parallel development in Gulf drama.
Al-Sayed also noted that the unpublished novel category maintained its position, accounting for more than half of the total entries. This demonstrates that the award has succeeded in attracting young literary talents who aspire to publish their works and reach the Arab reader through the award.
The total prize money across all categories is approximately $375,000. This includes $90,000 for the published novels category, with three winners receiving $30,000 each.
