ArtDayME: The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation is set to organise a grand cultural festival from February 27 to 29 to honour the winners of the 18th edition of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award (2022-2023).

The celebration festival will include an extraordinary exhibition showcasing the Foundation’s esteemed collections, alongside an intellectual seminar where the award’s winners will offer insights into their creative literary journey.

Additionally, there will be book signing ceremonies for the award’s winners whose books were published by the Foundation as part of its “The Winners” series, released successively by the Foundation.Top of Form

The three-day cultural extravaganza will host a seminar featuring Bahraini storyteller and novelist Amin Saleh, organised in collaboration with the Sharjah-based Arab Cultural Club, and another seminar led by Moroccan thinker Abdul Salam Benabdelali, held in cooperation with the Philosophy House in Fujairah.

The award’s winners include Hassan Talab (Poetry Award), Amin Saleh (Short Story, Novel and Drama Award), Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim (Literary Studies and Criticism Award), and Dr. Abdul Salam Benabdelali (Humanities and Future Studies Award).

Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees will honour the winners who will be decorated with the UAE scarf and awarded gold medals, featuring the name and image of the winner on one side, and the award logo on the other side.

The winners will also receive valuable artistic certificates. The celebrations are scheduled to commence at 7 PM on February 27 with a grand exhibition featuring the Foundation’s collections. The exhibition showcases dozens of paintings by 62 prominent Emirati, Arab, and international artists whose artworks have been exhibited at the Foundation for nearly 40 years. With meticulous care, the Foundation has diligently worked to acquire and documented these masterpieces as valuable cultural and intellectual assets of this esteemed institution.

At 8:30 PM on February 27, an intellectual symposium will take place, where the award winners will share insights into their creative and intellectual journey. Following the symposium, each winner will sign copies of their newly published book by the Foundation as part of its “The Winners” series.

The signings will feature the book: “The Companions of the Port, The Companions of the Wind, A Hymn to the Universal Chamber, A Slight Death” by Bahraini storyteller Amin Saleh. The book “Conformity and Difference” by critic Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim. The book “Playing with Words” by intellectual Abdessalam Benabdelali”, “Poetry Collection “Something… Through Nothing: A Poetic and Philosophical Dialogue” by poet Hassan Talab.

On the sidelines of the honouring ceremony, portraits of the winners will be displayed, continuing a tradition upheld by the Foundation to immortalize the images of the awardees through paintings crafted by renowned artists. The winners’ portraits were created by a group of esteemed artists, namely Dr. Farid Fadel, Mohamed Hussein, and Babu Ramachandran. Additionally, the exhibition hall will host a museum dedicated to the award winners, showcasing 105 paintings by the most prominent portrait painters.

The honouring ceremony is scheduled to take place on Thursday evening, February 29. The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation has extended invitations to intellectuals, creative figures and media professionals from the UAE and beyond to attend this significant cultural event. The celebration signifies the culmination of the award’s longstanding activity, where the creative winners rightfully deserve recognition for their exceptional contributions.

Al Owais Cultural Foundation To Honour Its Award Winners in Three-Day Celebration from February 27 to 29.