9th edition of the Katara Festival for Arabic Novel will commence on October 13

The Katara Festival for Arabic Novel, in its ninth edition, is scheduled to begin on Friday, October 13 and run through October 20, the Cultural Village Foundation, Katara announced on its official social media channels. The $345,000 total prize money, as disclosed by Katara, underscores the award's dedication to supporting literary brilliance. A total of $45,000 is allocated to the unpublished novel category, with three winners earning $15,000 each, and $30,000 is set up for the published Qatari book category.

The unpublished research and unpublished book categories are also recognized, with a total award of $90,000 each. Each set of three winners will get $30,000 from the prize fund. In 2014, Katara established the biennial Katara Festival for Arabic Novels. It is managed by the Cultural Village Foundation, which appoints a committee to oversee it and provides constant assistance. The principal aim of the prize is to enhance the visibility of outstanding Arab novels in the regional and international literary arenas. It also acts as a spur, encouraging Arab writers to pursue greater frontiers of creativity and brilliance by recognising and stimulating their artistic endeavours. These goals are meant to raise knowledge of culture and ideas while stimulating demand for and interest in Arabic novels.

Throughout the candidate screening process, the aforementioned award proudly supports the values of independence, openness, and honesty. It also aggressively encourages recipients' works to be translated into French and English, which makes it easier for unpublished novels to be published and marketed. Additionally, this prize offers a platform for competition, which benefits publishing companies as well as writers and continues to enhance the Arabic literary scene.