Arab Academy in Cairo announces Short Story Competition

The Arab Academy announces an "International Arabic Short Story Competition" open to all those currently studying Arabic as a foreign language. The stories should take place in the Middle East (past or present), and the aim of the stories should be to enable the readers to better understand the history, culture, societies and/or geopolitics of the region.

Who may participate?
Students of Arabic in the West or those residing in an Arab country.

When is the entry deadline?
30th June 2009

What is the objective of this competition?
To encourage non-Arabs to write about the riches of the region from their own personal vantage point so that they help their readers to better understand the diverse cultures of the Middle East.

What are the requirements?
Two versions of the story: One version of the story in English and the other in Arabic. The English version should have a minimum of 5000 words. The Arabic version of the story should be an excerpt and should have a maximum of 1,000 words. Stories should be submitted via email to (stories@arabacademy.com) with current email address, physical address and telephone numbers.

Who are the jury?
** The jury are renowned novelists, historians and literary critics from the Middle East.

Dr. MBaye Bashir (Duke Unviersity, United States)
Dr. Zeinab Ibrahim (Amideast, Cairo, Egypt)
Dr. Salih Abdel Rahman (Howard Community College, United States)

When will the results be announced?
31st July 2009. Winners will be notified by email.
The winners of our prizes will have their stories published on the Arab Academy website.

What are the prizes?
** First Prize: 1 month of free tuition at Arab Academy in Cairo, Egypt + accommodation.
** Second Prize: 1 month of free tuition at Arab Academy in Cairo, Egypt.
** Third Prize: 6 months of free online Arabic language tuition



Sanaa Ghanem
(http://www.arabacademy.com/ghanem)
President, Arab Academy,
3 Kamil El-Shinnawi Street (Formerly: Al-Nabataat Street),
Garden City 14511, Cairo, Egypt
E-mail: info@arabacademy.com