Nominations open for the second edition of the Samiha Khreis Novel Award
Amman4 min read
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The Samiha Khreis Novel Award opens a new door for Jordanian writers and Arabs residing in the Kingdom to present their first narrative experiences and transform their unpublished manuscripts into literary publications that reach readers, as "Al-Aan Publishers and Distributors" announces the opening of nominations for its second edition, which continues until May 1, 2027, in an initiative that seeks to discover new novelistic voices and support their creative beginnings.
The new edition gains additional importance in light of the experience of the first edition, in which the jury decided to withhold the award after finishing the evaluation of the submitted works, out of concern for the literary value of the award and to preserve the name and creative project of the Jordanian novelist Samiha Khreis. The publishing house confirmed the continuation of the award and the launch of its second edition, which reinforces its trend towards supporting first novels and searching for texts that possess artistic and creative qualities worthy of publication.
"Al-Aan Publishers and Distributors" explained in a press release that the award targets first unpublished novelistic works ("manuscripts") by Jordanian writers and Arabs residing in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, regardless of their age.
The General Manager of the house, Dr. Bassem Al-Zoubi, said that Samiha Khreis "has been engaged in the experience of creative writing for decades, and during that time has accumulated a deep-rooted literary project that is biased towards humanity and its issues, open to collective memory, and engaged with history without abandoning its commitment to the present and its issues."
He added that the award represents a "cultural initiative" added to the initiatives launched by "Al-Aan Publishers and Distributors" since its establishment in 2013, noting that the award came "to strengthen the house's efforts in promoting its cultural project that is biased towards creativity."
In turn, the award supervisor, writer Jaafar Al-Aqili, said that the award "was allocated for unpublished novelistic works, based on the fact that there are texts that deserve to be read but have not yet had the opportunity to appear."
Regarding the conditions for nomination, the statement clarified that participation is open to Jordanian writers and Arabs residing in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, regardless of their age, who have not previously published a novel in print or electronically.
It is required that the participant submit only one work, that the manuscript be original, written in standard Arabic, not generated by artificial intelligence in any form, and not published in any format, including social media, or submitted to another award. Anyone who sends more than one work will be disqualified from competing.
Entries should be sent to the email: info@alaanpublishers.com.
According to the statement, the jury will evaluate the works that meet the conditions and select among them to reach the shortlist, which will be announced on July 17, 2027. The name of the winner will be announced on August 16 of the same year, coinciding with the birthday of novelist Samiha Khreis, while the award ceremony and the launch of the winning book will take place during the 2027 Amman International Book Fair.
The winner will receive a cash prize of 1,000 Jordanian Dinars, in addition to having their novel published among the house's releases at its full expense, after undergoing the necessary proofreading, editing, and technical review. The winner will also receive 10% of the printed copies.
The award comes within the framework of cultural initiatives aimed at nurturing new novelistic talents and providing publishing opportunities for those with first experiences, which contributes to enriching the Jordanian literary scene with new narrative voices and allows manuscripts that meet technical standards the opportunity to move from the writing stage to publication and reach readers.
