Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh has announced that Arabic-speaking writers may start submitting their works to compete for the Golden Pen Award, granted for the most influential literary work.
The winning scripts may be made into movies by GEA, Alalshikh said Sunday.
Applications for the award, sponsored by Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, will be received until September 30.
A first list will be announced on November 30, and the shortlist on December 30. The awards will be distributed at a ceremony scheduled to take place in February that is expected to draw an elite group of writers, intellectuals, filmmakers and actors.
The six award categories are: The grand prizes, the novel, the screenplay, the best translated novel, the best Arab publisher, and the audience award, with a total prize value of $740,000.
For each of the grand prizes and screenplay categories, the first-place prizes will be $100,000 and the production of a movie, the second-place prizes will be $50,000 and the production of a movie, while the third-place prizes will be $30,000.
As for the novel category, there will be eight prizes worth $25,000 each, including the best suspense and thriller novel, the best mystery and crime novel, the best romance novel, the best fantasy novel, the best comedy novel, the best historical novel, the best horror novel, and the best realistic novel.
The best translated novel will be awarded $100,000, while the best Arab publisher will be granted $50,000, and the audience award will be $30,000, with public voting opening on the award website at a later time.
