Doha: The Cultural Village Foundation – Katara has announced that it has received 1,500 submissions for the Katara Short Story Competition from 32 countries, which include 19 Arab nations and 13 foreign countries.
According to Qatar News Agency, of these submissions, 1,473 were from Arab countries, while 27 came from non-Arab nations. The highest number of entries came from Egypt and Sudan, totaling 612 submissions. This was followed by contributions from the Levant and Iraq, which accounted for approximately 412 entries. The Maghreb region ranked third with 296 submissions, while the Arab Gulf states accounted for around 153 contributions. Meanwhile, submissions from non-Arab countries totaled 27.
Katara has designated three awards for the competition, with the first prize valued at QR 15,000, the second prize set at QR 12,000, and the third prize estimated at approximately QR 10,000. The contest is open to writers of both genders, with no age restrictions, provided that each participant submits only one short story.
Katara Publishing House has the right to publish the winning entries, with submission acting as the writer’s full and final consent to publication if selected. The competition requires that the short story be between 1,500 and 5,000 words, written in Modern Standard Arabic, and free of spelling errors, with proper punctuation. The story must be unpublished on any media outlet and not have previously won any award, being submitted exclusively for this competition.
Katara launched this competition during the holy month of Ramadan, selecting Brotherhood as the key theme for 2025 submissions, continuing its annual tradition of organizing literary competitions during Ramadan. The competition was open for entries throughout Ramadan, with the deadline set for the 29th day of the month. Results are expected to be announced in July 2025.