Announcing the names of the winners of the Ghanem Ghobash Short Story Award in its 17th session

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Abu Dhabi, May 18 / WAM / The Emirates Writers and Writers Union announced the names of the winners of the Ghanem Ghobash Short Story Award in its seventeenth session for the year 2026, which witnessed a wide turnout and remarkable participation from promising talents and writers in its two categories, the short story and the short story collection.

The results of the short story category resulted in storyteller Mona Al-Hamoudi winning first place for her story “Auction of Shadows,” while storyteller Fatima Al-Amiri came in second place for her story “1 in 8 Billion,” and storyteller Fatima Al-Marashdeh came in third place for her story “Master of the Last Letter.”

The jury also noted a number of distinguished works, namely: “Half the Scene” by the storyteller Amna Ali Al Shehhi, “The Master with the Mercedes Car” by the storyteller Muhammad Al Marzouqi, “The Temptation of Language” by the storyteller Saleha Al Mansouri, and “The Land That Closed Her Heart” by the storyteller Sultan Bin Dafoun.

In the story collection category, storyteller Muhammad Yousef Zainal won first place for his collection “Sect of Outcasts,” while storyteller Jawaher Saeed Al Yamahi won second place for her collection “Echoes of Shadows and Light,” and third place was shared equally between storyteller Asma Al Hameli for her collection “Shores of the Moon” and storyteller Talib Ghuloum Talib for his collection “Shadow of the Ghafa.” Mention was also given to the collection “What Art Cannot Tell” by the storyteller Ghaya Farid Al Harmoudi.

The jury, headed by the writer Nasser Al Dhaheri, and the membership of Dr. Badia Al Hashemi, Lulwah Al Mansouri, Abdel Fattah Sabri, and Islam Bouchkir, confirmed that the current session was distinguished by an advanced artistic and literary level, as the participating works were subjected to careful evaluation according to professional standards that included originality, artistic construction, language, and narrative techniques, which contributed to highlighting remarkable creative texts that reflect the development of the local narrative scene.

For his part, Nasser Al Dhaheri said that the participation in the seventeenth session was characterized by positivity, pointing to the emergence of promising pens in the field of narrative creativity, which has enriched this award since its inception, and reflects the keenness of the Emirates Writers and Writers Union to continue and develop it.

He added that the committee worked over a period of two months to read, classify and sort the texts, with the aim of arriving at the best works, pointing out that the results were often close, which made the process of comparing texts difficult, in light of the presence of more than one work and a promising group that heralds the emergence of new voices that will enrich the literary scene in the UAE.

Al Dhaheri pointed out that the celebration of the award winners coincides with Emirati Writer’s Day, which falls on May 26 of each year, reflecting the symbolism of this occasion in supporting writers and appreciating their creative achievement.

He expressed his thanks to the members of the jury for their efforts and the harmonious work spirit that contributed to the smooth completion of the task, stressing the committee’s keenness to come up with recommendations that contribute to developing the award and modernizing its mechanisms, and thanked the Emirates Writers and Authors Union for its trust and interest in this award, which bears a prominent national name.

For her part, Sheikha Al-Jabri, Secretary General of the Award, expressed her happiness with the level of participation in this session, praising the great turnout it witnessed and the emergence of promising narrative talents.

She stressed that the award continues its role in supporting writers and advancing the art of the short story, thus enhancing the presence of Emirati literature in the cultural scene.

She pointed out that the jury made great efforts to study and evaluate the works according to precise criteria, and also came up with a number of recommendations that would develop the award and modernize its mechanisms, thus contributing to strengthening its position and sustaining its success in future sessions.