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Dubai, 11 June, 2014: The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature's education programme continues for the seventh Festival with the opening of its hugely popular students writing competitions - the Taaleem Poetry Award and the Oxford University Press Short Story Writing Competition.
Isobel Abulhoul, Festival Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, said, “The competitions have always offered a platform for students to develop their appreciation of reading and literature whilst also honing their creative skills. They have become an integral and important part of the Festival and we are grateful to Taaleem and Oxford University Press for giving us the opportunity to inspire young people.
“The support we have had from the educational community has been invaluable in making the competitions such a success. Schools and colleges in the UAE and Gulf region are very involved in the competitions, regularly entering students in the various age categories,” Abulhoul added. “Participants need not be affiliated to a school, however, to enter the writing competitions; they can enter individually.”
GEMS World Academy's Writing Centre Director, Tina Evans praised the competitions, saying, “The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature's poetry and short story writing contests are eagerly anticipated every year by Gems World Academy-Dubai students. It is a unique opportunity for the students to showcase their talents. The competition ignites creativity, sparks imagination, and instils a love of writing. Thank you for offering this valuable experience to our students!”
The students writing competitions have continued to gain popularity with each passing year, plus the added bonus of the winning and shortlisted entries appearing in a published collection launched during the Festival. Both competitions are divided into age-specific categories - 11 and under, 12-14, 15-17 and 18 and above. Entries are judged by an independent panel of judges.
All information, as well as registration and submission, is on-line at https://www.emirateslitfest.com/writingcompetition
Taaleem Poetry Award
The theme for the 2015 Taaleem Poetry Award is ‘Wonderland', an evocative and stimulating theme bound to yield creative responses from participants.
The winning entries will be published in a dual-language book which will be presented by international poets to winners on March 7, 2015, during the Festival. Winners will also receive an invitation to a creative writing workshop at the Festival.
“The Taaleem Poetry Award has gone from strength to strength with each passing year,” said Clive Pierrepont, Director of Communications, Taaleem. “We are very pleased with the growing success of the competition and the quality of entries both in Arabic and English. There is so much creativity in this region and Taaleem are pleased to be able to give young people the opportunity to express their talent.”
The deadline for submissions is November 23, 2014.
Oxford University Press Short Story Writing Competition
The Oxford University Press Short Story Writing Competition has regularly received a large number of entries and it is expected that 2015 will be no different.
The theme for this year's competition is “The Next Best Thing”, chosen by children's illustrator and writer Sarah McIntyre during the 2014 Festival.
Julie Till, Regional Manager, Gulf States, Oxford University Press, said of the 2015 competition, “We are very excited about next year's competition and especially the theme, which will definitely produce some exciting stories.
“The competition has opened up a number of avenues for aspiring young writers in the region and we are glad to be a part of their journey through our sponsorship,” Till concluded.
The deadline for submitting stories is November 23, 2014 and the final winners will be announced on March 7, during the Festival, and will be awarded certificates, a book of winning entries and a complimentary ticket to a creative-writing workshop.
The Festival also conducts a quiz-style competition for children, the Chevron Readers' Cup, which will be launched later this year, and a performance-poetry competition, the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center Qasidah Par Coeur Competition, which will be launched with a new category catering to 8-13 year olds.
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, which is part of the Emirates Literature Foundation, will take place in Dubai from 3 to 7 March 2015 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and in partnership with Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate's dedicated Authority for culture, arts, and heritage. For more details of the Festival please see www.emirateslitfest.com
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