The Golden Pen Award has set a global record with 1,967 submissions from 49 countries, as announced by the award’s chairman, Professor Dr. Saad Albazei, during a press conference held today (Monday) at the headquarters of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA).
Dr. Albazei highlighted that male participants accounted for 69.7% of the submissions, while female participants made up 30.3%. The majority of participants were aged between 30 and 50, followed by the younger demographic aged 18 to 30.
The submissions included 1,347 novels, 508 translated works, and 93 screenplays, with realistic fiction being the most popular genre, followed by fantasy, suspense, romance, historical fiction, horror, and comedy. These insights, he noted, are invaluable for researchers in the literary field.
Dr. Albazei emphasized that the award represents the values of transparency, with the pre-announcement of the jury panel being a rare practice in literary awards, fostering trust among participants and the audience. The award embraces neutrality by allowing entries from both individuals and publishing houses, ensuring an inclusive platform.
Aiming to bridge literature and cinema, the Golden Pen Award aspires to transform novels into cinematic works, enriching the film industry, which often lacks creative scripts. Dr. Albazei also explained that the judging process, conducted entirely digitally, adhered to the highest standards of transparency, with support from the General Entertainment Authority and its chairman, HE Turki Alalshikh. The process has resulted in 30 longlisted novels, including six Saudi works.
The audience award voting will open after the shortlist is announced on December 30, maintaining strict adherence to the established timeline.
In his concluding remarks, Dr. Albazei underlined the importance of verifying copyright to ensure the integrity of submissions. He stated that the award’s primary objective is to present an accurate and comprehensive representation of its impact.
Last Friday, HE Turki Alalshikh announced the longlist for the Golden Pen Award, which includes 47 works across the categories of novels (30), translated novels (7), and screenplays (10). The shortlisted entries will be revealed on December 30, with the winners celebrated at a grand ceremony in February 2025.
The Golden Pen Award seeks to honor the most impactful literary creativity in the Arab world, supporting authors who enrich Arabic literature with their unique contributions. It aims to foster literary culture and encourage excellence and innovation in writing.
The award features six categories: novels, screenplays, best-translated novels, best Arab publisher, audience choice, and the grand prizes. The total prize pool amounts to $740,000. The first-place winners in the grand prizes and screenplays will receive $100,000 along with the production of a film based on their work, while second and third-place winners will receive $50,000 and $30,000, respectively, with their works also adapted into films.
For the novel categories, eight prizes worth $25,000 each will be awarded, including categories for suspense, mystery and crime, romance, fantasy, comedy, historical fiction, horror, and realistic fiction. The best-translated novel will receive $100,000, while the best Arab publisher will win $50,000. The audience award carries a prize of $30,000.