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Saudi Arabia’s GEA Chairman Launches Website of Golden Pen Award for Most Influential Literature

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh. SPA
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh. SPA
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Saudi Arabia’s GEA Chairman Launches Website of Golden Pen Award for Most Influential Literature

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh. SPA
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh. SPA

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh inaugurated on Sunday the website for the “Golden Pen Award for Most Influential Literature” in a ceremony held in Riyadh.

This marks the first award by the GEA aimed at transforming literary works into cinematic productions.

“We were delighted three days ago to announce that Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan will sponsor this award as part of a significant agreement between the GEA and the ministry,” said Alalshikh in his speech at the ceremony.

He emphasized that the website will serve as a comprehensive repository of Arabic novels, screenplays, and related content, aligning with the large-scale productions underway across the Arab world, particularly in the Kingdom.

Regarding the Golden Pen Forum, Alalshikh stated that it will be a special gathering place for writers with free membership. He added that there will be specific criteria for selecting beneficiary members, making it a vibrant focal point throughout the year in the Arab world.

Chairman of the Golden Pen Award Dr. Saad Al-Bazei announced the main phases of the award during a press conference held on the sidelines of the official launch.

He explained that the submission period for literary works will open on the website on September 15 and continue until September 30. The longlist will be announced on November 30, with the shortlist following on December 30.

The winners will be announced, and the awards will be presented at a major ceremony scheduled for February 2025, with the attendance of a distinguished group of writers, intellectuals, filmmakers, and celebrities.

Al-Bazei outlined the six award categories: major awards for novels and screenplays, best-translated novel, best Arab publisher, and the People's Choice Award, with a total prize value of $740,000. He further detailed that for the major awards and screenplay categories, the first-place prize will consist of $100,000 and a film production; the second-place prize, $50,000 and a film production; and the third-place prize, $30,000.

The novel categories will include eight awards, each worth $25,000, covering Best Thriller Novel, Best Mystery and Crime Novel, Best Romance Novel, Best Fantasy Novel, Best Comedy Novel, Best Historical Novel, Best Horror Novel, and Best Realistic Novel.

Al-Bazei also highlighted that the Best Translated Novel will receive a $100,000 prize; the Best Arab Publisher will be awarded $50,000, and the People's Choice Award will be valued at $30,000. Voting for the People's Choice Award will open on the award’s website at a later date.

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Varieties

A New York Oasis Lies in Path of City's Push to Build Housing

Elizabeth Street Garden, Manhattan, August 27, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs Purchase Licensing Rights
Elizabeth Street Garden, Manhattan, August 27, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs Purchase Licensing Rights
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A New York Oasis Lies in Path of City's Push to Build Housing

Elizabeth Street Garden, Manhattan, August 27, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs Purchase Licensing Rights
Elizabeth Street Garden, Manhattan, August 27, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs Purchase Licensing Rights

A beloved public garden in lower Manhattan may soon become a casualty of New York's push to develop more housing despite opposition led by celebrities such as Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese.

Elizabeth Street Garden, built by an antiques gallery owner on land leased from the city in 1991, is an urban oasis in the densely crowded Little Italy neighborhood, the backdrop for "Mean Streets," Scorsese's classic New York movie starring De Niro.

In 2013, the city proposed a 123-unit affordable housing project for seniors on the one-acre (0.4 hectare) plot. Opponents have proposed alternative sites nearby that could create 700 units, but housing officials remain unconvinced. Legal options are running out to stop the garden's eviction after the lease expires on Sept. 10, Reuters reported. p

Thousands of people, including Scorsese, De Niro and another downtown luminary, poet and musician Patti Smith, have written letters asking Mayor Eric Adams to preserve the garden.

"I support increasing the availability of affordable housing," wrote De Niro, "but I'm also passionate about preserving the character of our neighborhoods."

The controversy is just one example of the tensions that have surfaced as New York strives to build more homes in one of the country's most populous and expensive housing markets.

Its vacancy rate dropped to 1.4% in February, the lowest since 1968, according to the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

- 'CITY OF YES'

In 2022, Adams unveiled a three-pronged plan called City of Yes to update zoning regulations for new development. The final portion, which the city council is expected to vote on this year, is designed to "build a little more housing in every neighborhood," said Adams. This includes converting underused office buildings and allowing apartments above businesses in low-density commercial areas.

Much of the opposition has come from low-density neighborhoods in New York's boroughs outside of Manhattan.

"I think it's fear - fear of change," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, who provided conditional support for City of Yes last week. Only in Staten Island, the most suburban of the five boroughs, did the borough president issue an unfavorable recommendation.

Critics fear zoning changes will overcrowd their neighborhoods, making them like Manhattan.

One controversial aspect allows homeowners to convert basements, garages and backyard cottages into rental apartments. Another proposal would eliminate mandates to provide parking for new development, angering residents of car-dependent areas.

Richards called City of Yes a modest proposal that would not significantly alter low-density neighborhoods, but acknowledged the need for more affordable housing and parking in areas with little public transit.

Paul Graziano, an urban planner who lives on a suburban block in Queens, called City of Yes "apocalyptic." The plan's ultimate goal, he said, is to transform areas with mostly owner-occupied single-family homes into neighborhoods dominated by market-rate or luxury apartments.

"If you build it, they will come, right?" said Graziano. "If you enable it, it's going to happen. This is what happens in the city of New York."

Quality of life is the bottom line for many in New York City, where low-density neighborhoods feel increasingly squeezed, as in Queens, or where green spaces are especially rare, as in lower Manhattan.

"There's nothing like Elizabeth Street Garden in the city, and the city will never build anything like it again," said Joseph Reiver, who took over the space from his late father. "They're never going to tear down buildings to build gardens."