HE Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), issued a decision appointing Dr. Saad Al-Bazei as the Chairman of the “Golden Pen Award for the Most Influential Literature.”
Al-Bazei possesses extensive experience in various fields, most notably criticism and translation in the English language. He also serves as a Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at King Saud University. He has published numerous books, research papers, and articles in both Arabic and English and has participated in several local, Arab, and international conferences and symposiums. Additionally, he is a member of UNESCO’s International Fund for the Promotion of Culture and chaired the Booker Prize Committee in 2014. Al-Bazei has received numerous awards, including the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information Book Award in 2012, the Sultan Qaboos Award for Literary Criticism in 2017, the Bahrain Book Award in 2018, and the Doha Arab Book Award in 2024. He was also honored at the GCC Ministers of Culture meeting in 2019.
The “Golden Pen Award for the Most Influential Literature” committee is set to be formed with several members from various fields, most notably literature, screenwriting, film production, and film directing, all of whom possess extensive experience in their respective areas.
The award focuses on the most popular novels with the highest potential for adaptation into films, divided into several categories, most notably the “Grand Prizes” category. The first and second place winning novels will be adapted into films, with the first place winner receiving $100,000, the second place winner receiving $50,000, and the third place novel receiving $30,000.
The award includes multiple categories within the novel track, such as Best Thriller, Best Comedy Novel, Best Mystery and Crime Novel, Best Fantasy Novel, Best Horror Novel, Best Historical Novel, Best Romance Novel, and Best Realistic Novel. Each category’s first place winner will receive $25,000, totaling $200,000 for all categories combined.
The award also includes a track for “Best Screenplay Adapted from a Literary Work,” where the first and second place screenplays will be adapted into films. Additionally, the first place winner will receive $100,000, the second place winner will receive $50,000, and the third place screenplay will receive $30,000.
The competition also includes several additional awards. The best translated novel will receive a prize of $100,000, the best Arab publisher will be awarded $50,000, and there will be a “People’s Choice Award” of $30,000, which will be determined through voting on the award’s dedicated online platform.
