DOHA: The Qatari Authors Forum organised a special celebration under the title 'Promising Pens'to crown the promising writers who won the University Short Story Writer and Increase and Createcompetitions, at the House of Wisdom Hall at the Ministry of Culture.
Theevent aimedto highlight young talents in the field of writing and encourage them to be more creative.
The ceremony witnessed the honouring of the winners of the University Short Story Writer competition, which focused on the environment. Shaden Mohammed Al-Jaouni won first place for her story The Cold Land of Hell, followed by Ashraf Abdel Hamid Aql in second place for his story Rashid and the Ancient Tree, while Fatima Hijres won third place for her story The War of the Sanjajil.
In the Increase and Innovatecompetition, winners were honoured in different categories. Ghalia Al-Hail won first place in the Buds category, Hamad Al-Mohannadi won second place, and Laura Zaher won third place. In the Youth category, Moza Abdullah Al-Fakhro won the award, while Dr Abdul-Moneim Mujawar won the award in the Leaders category.
Dr.Aisha Jassim Al Kuwari, Director General of the Forum, said in her speech during the celebration: "The ‘Promising Pens’ ceremony is not only an occasion to honor the winners of our competitions, but it is also a celebration of literature and writing as a bright window onto the world, and a platform for free and creative expression,” expressing her thanks to all partners and supporters of these competitions.
Al Kuwari praised the level of the winners who demonstrated creativity and passion for writing in an era dominated by technology and social media, noting that books remain an inexhaustible source of knowledge and inspiration.
She added that the participants in the University Storytellercompetition were creative in addressing environmental issues and climate change through short stories, expressing her pride in their contribution to promoting environmental awareness.
The General Manager of the Forum called on the winners to continue to be creative and gain knowledge from various fields of knowledge, stressing that writing is not just words on paper, but a means to change the world. Every story written represents an opportunity to change someone’s life or inspire an entire generation, stressing that the Qatari Authors Forum will always support all creative and young talents.
It is worth noting that these competitions were launched in cooperation between the Qatari Authors Forum, the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and the ALECSO Chair for Child Protection.