The Katara Prize for Arabic Novel is an Arabic literary prize based in Qatar. It was established in 2014 by the Katara Cultural Village. The total prize pool is $650,000 and the main prize $200,000, making it one of the richest literary prizes in the world. One of its sponsors is UNESCO. The winning novels will be translated into five languages - including French and English.
The prize was originally split into two major categories: published and unpublished novels each of which had five winners. More recently, prizes were added for research/literary criticism and for young adult unpublished novels. For the published novels, the five winners originally received $60,000 while five winners under unpublished category were each awarded $30,000. Among the winners in each category, one was chosen as the "drama" winner in which the winning works are guaranteed film adaptations. The drama winner in the published category received an additional $200,000.
In addition to the original award for Arabic novels, separate awards have been given for Arabic short stories and poetry.
Winners
- winner of the drama prize
2015
Sources:
Published
Amir Tag El Sir, 366 (Sudan)
Ibrahim Abdel-Meguid, Adagio (Egypt)
Muneera Sawar, Ongoing (Bahrain)
Nasira Al Sadoun, Escaping the Vortex (Iraq)
Waciny Laredj, Butterfly Kingdom (Algeria)
Unpublished
Jalal Barjas (Jordan)
Abdul Jaleel Al Tuhami (Morocco)
Maisaloon Hadi (Iraq)
Zakaria Abu Maria (Morocco)
Samih Al Ghabbas (Egypt)
2016
Salmi Nasser, Blue Tongues (ISBN 9789927126185)
Ali Al Refaei, Mero Family Genes (ISBN 9789927126192)
Mustapha El Hamdaoui, Princess Shadow (ISBN 9789927126178)
Saad Mohammed Raheem, Shadows of a Body (ISBN 9789927126314)
Nasser Iraq, Al-Azbakia (ISBN 9789927126338)
2017
Prize for Published Novel - $60,000 each
Said Khatibi, Forty Years Awaiting Isabel
Sameha Kheres, Fostoq Abeed
Shaker Noori, Khatoon Baghdad
Hoshank Osi, The Plight of the Questions and the Lust of Imagination
Mohamed Barada, Mawt Mokhtalif
Prize for Unpublished Novel - $30,000 each
Husein Al-Sakaf, False Face Statue
Taha Mohamed Taha, The Apple Tree
Abdelwahab Eisawi, Safar Amal Al-Manseyen
Mohamed Al-Meer Ghalib, Shahd Al-Maqaber
Mona Al-Shimi, Watan Al-Jeeb Al-Khalfi
Research-Literary Criticism - $10,000 each
Dr. Al-Basheer Dayfallah
Dr. Khalid Ali Al-Yas
Dr. Abdelhamid Al-Hossami
Dr. Mostafa Al-Nahal
Dr. Youssef Youssef
Prize for Young Adult Unpublished Novels - $10,000 each
Ahmad Shehata, Jabal Al-Khorafat
Ghamar Mahmoud, Babel's Mirror
Kauther Al-Gondi, Seren's Notebook
Moneera Al-Darwai, It is not a Condition to be a Superhero to Succeed
Nasr Sami, Al-Taer Al-Bashari
2018
Prize for a published novel - $60,000 each
Ibrahim Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmed, Barry Ansouda Sudan
Omar Ahmed Fadlallah, Breaths
Thawrah Hawamidah, A Paradise That Did Not Drop Its Apple
Qassim Mohammed Tawfiq, The Little Bird Bled
Najat Hussein Abdul Samad, No Water to Tell
Prize for an unpublished novel- $30.000 each
Haya Saleh, Another Color of the Sunset
Abdulkareem Al Obaidi, The American Beard
Hassan Baeti, Temporary Faces
Thaera Akrabawi, Hajar
Zakaria Abdel-Gawad, Neigh Astray
2019
Prize for a published novel- $60,000 each
Laila Al-Atrash, Not Like Herself
Majdi Daibes, The burden of guilt
Habib Sayah, Haim & I
Haji Jaber, Black Foam
Habib Abdulrab Sarori, revelation
Prize for an unpublished novel- $30.000 each
Warid Bader Al-salim, The Kidnapped
Salemi Nasser, A Cup of Coffee and a Croissant
Abdelmomen Ahmed AbdelAal, At The Gates of El-Mahrousa
Wafa Alloush, Haystack
Aicha Ammor, A life in black and white
2020
Prize for a published novel- $60,000 each
Ibrahim Nasrullah, A Tank Under the Christmas Tree
Mohamed Makhzangi, The reservist
Fatin al-Murr, Dust 1918
Cheikh Elbane, Wood Valley
Fathia Debech, Melanin
Prize for an unpublished novel- $30.000 each
Ghazi Hussein Al-Ali, The Unmistakable Black Mercedes
Najib Nasr, Half A Human
Lazhar Zanned, The Watchman: An Eye on Place and the Other on Time
Dr. Saied Al-Allam, The Maiden of Granada Love Between Two Cities: Granada and Chefchaouen
Salem Mahmoud Salem, Happened in Alexandria
2021
Prize for a published novel - $60,000 each
Al Habib Al Salmi
Ahmed Al Qarmlawi
Fajr Yaqoub
Ayman Rajab Taher
Nader Manhal Haj Omar
Prize for an unpublished novel - $30.000 each
Etidal Najeeb Al Shoufi from Syria
Ghid Al Ghareb from Iraq
Younis Ali from Morocco
Muhammad Abdullah Al Hadi from Egypt
Walid bin Ahmed from Tunisia.
Prize for the studies category concerned with research and fiction criticism - $15,000 each