The Taaleem Award is now closed.
What is the competition?
The theme of the 2016 Taaleem Award is Time, which is the overall theme of the 2016 Festival. The competition is held in Arabic and English. Entrants may choose their own title in keeping with the theme of Time.
You can find some tips on writing a good poem here.
What is the prize?
Winners will be honoured at a prizegiving event at the 2016 Festival, and all the winning entries will appear in a published book. As well as a trophy, each winner will receive five copies of the book, a ticket to an Festival session and the opportunity to participate in a Creative Writing Workshop run by Pobble, the online platform for young writers.
Further details will be sent to the winners after the judges have made their decision.
Who can enter?
There are four age categories which relate to your age on 15 November 2015.
Ages 11 and under – up to a maximum of 32 lines
Ages 12 – 14 – up to a maximum of 32 lines
Ages 15 – 17 – up to a maximum of 32 lines
Age 18-25 for undergraduates in full-time education – up to a maximum of 32 lines
Please read carefully:
- By entering the competition, entrants agree to observe the terms and conditions of the Competition, which include permission for the Festival and the sponsor to publicise photographic images of the participating students in all stages of the competition in any promotional materials. Schools and students should be aware that they might need to obtain parental consent for this.
- Judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into with regard to these decisions.
- In accordance with normal conventions for international writing competitions, entries which do not adhere to the said terms and conditions will not be considered.
How to submit:
- Write your poem – use your imagination and creativity to the full, but do remember that the theme is Time
- Check that you have followed all the rules
- Complete all sections of the online entry form
- Submit directly from this page!
- Winners will be notified in early March before the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature (1-12 March 2016).
Only winners will be notified in advance, by the middle of January 2016. The names of the winners will be published on the website a week before the Festival. All participants will receive a certificate of participation upon entering and are welcome to join us at the prize-giving ceremony at the Festival.
The Award Ceremony will take place during the Festival, on 12 March 2016.