SHARJAH, 1st May, 2026 (WAM) — Under the patronage of the wife of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, H.H. Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Cultural Office of the Sharjah Family and Community Council has announced the winners of the eighth edition of the Sharjah Award for Gulf Women’s Creativity 2026.
The edition saw the crowning of seven female creatives from across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, distinguished for their contributions in literature and criticism, following strong competition across the award’s three categories: literary studies, narrative creativity (short story), and poetry (free verse).
Salha Ghabash, Cultural Adviser at the Executive Office, stated that the growing participation of Gulf female writers in the award reflects their increasing and influential presence in the Gulf cultural scene. She noted that while the award is dedicated to Gulf women’s voices, it also opens the door to Arab writers, with one non-Gulf Arab country invited in each edition.
This year, guests from the Kingdom of Morocco participated in the literary studies category.
She added that serious literary awards support culture and human creativity, and enrich Arabic literature with new works in poetry, short story, novels, and critical studies.
In the poetry category, Dr. Maha Al Otaibi from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia won for her collection “The House of Lovers”.
In the short story category, the award was shared between Estabraq Ahmed from Kuwait for her collection “A Drone Illuminates Above My Head” and Laila Abdullah from the Sultanate of Oman for her collection “Index of Kings”.
Fatima Al Mazrouei from the United Arab Emirates won the Jury Award in the same category for her story “Kohl Ithmid”.
In literary studies, Dr. Wafaa Salem Al Shamsi from the Sultanate of Oman won for her study “Cultural Features in the Modern Arabic Novel: A Critical Cultural Reading of ‘Maryam’s Fingers’ by Aziza Al Taie”.
From the guest country, a large group of Moroccan critics, academics and writers participated in literary and theatrical fields. Dr. Salma Barahma from the Kingdom of Morocco won for her study “Narration as Transgression and Questioning of Patriarchal Cultural Concepts in ‘Cinderellas of Muscat’ by Huda Hamad”, while Prof. Zohour Karam from Morocco won the Jury Award for her study “The Arabic Novel and the Dialectic of Cultural Features and Structures”.
The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on 23rd June next month.
