Muscat – The Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science has declared winners of the tenth edition of the prestigious Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature. 

The announcement was made by Habib bin Mohammed al Riyami, Secretary-General of the centre, at a press briefing held at the Institute of Islamic Sciences in Muscat on Wednesday. Presented biennially, the awards honour creative achievements of Arabs and Omanis.

The awards recognise contributions in media and communication studies under the ‘Culture’ category, film direction in ‘Arts’ and writing in ‘Literature’. 

Dr Abdullah bin Khamis al Kindi was declared winner in the ‘Culture’ category for his work in media and communication studies, and Algerian novelist Wassini al Araj was recognised in the ‘Literature’ category. 

The award for film direction for the ‘Arts’ category was not presented this year, 

Riyami informed that there was wide participation in this year’s competition with 171 contestants meeting the stringent criteria for nomination – 30 in Culture, 25 in Arts and an overwhelming 116 in Literature.

The Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature, instituted by Royal Decree No 18/2011 in 2011, aims to foster cultural richness, bolster scientific progress and nurture intellectual vigour. 

It underscores a commitment to nurturing originality and contemporary relevance, particularly among the younger generation, through a dynamic knowledge-based environment and intellectual rivalry.