Dubai: The Cultural and Scientific Symposium announced the closing of registration for its third annual Arabic Poetry Symposium Award (the Ahmed bin Salim Cycle). The award aims to promote Arabic poetry, highlight the most distinguished poetic creative experiences in the Arab world, and honor exceptional poets. It also underscores the UAE’s commitment to supporting poetry as the oral art form through which Arabs have documented their lives, their nation’s history, and their feelings throughout the ages.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the Cultural and Scientific Symposium Award for Arabic Poetry focuses on classical Arabic poetry in its three forms: traditional verse, free verse, and prose poetry. It is worth noting that the first edition of the award was named after the late poet Sultan bin Ali Al Owais, and attracted 664 participants: 301 in traditional verse, 159 in free verse, and 204 in prose poetry.

The second edition was named after the poet Hamad Khalifa Boushahab, and 1,234 participants were drawn, distributed as follows: 576 in classical Arabic poetry, 304 in free verse, and 354 in prose poetry. The award opened nominations for its third edition from June 15th to August 15th, 2026. The third edition received 1,501 submissions, which will be reviewed according to the award criteria and then presented to the judging panel, which operates according to precise and specific standards.