Muscat – Author Ruqaya Abdullah Said al Badi has won first place in the prestigious Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation (AHSF) Award for Children’s Literature 2025 for her story The Talking City of Stones in the category of travel literature for children aged nine and older.

AHSF announced that this year’s edition attracted wide participation from across the Arab world. The award focused on short stories in travel literature, encouraging young readers to explore different cultures and broaden their horizons.

The second place went to Abdelhakim Ahmed of Egypt, while Sherine Sami Fahmy Rizk, also from Egypt, secured the third.

Valentina Qassisieh, CEO of AHSF, said travel literature has particular value for young readers as it “broadens their knowledge by familiarising them with diverse cultures and peoples” while nurturing creativity, empathy and linguistic skills.

Curators of the award underlined the fact that adding travel literature to children’s libraries enriches imagination, inspires discovery and encourages independence. The judging panel praised the quality of submissions but noted an increase in the use of artificial intelligence in some entries, which was detected using monitoring tools. The foundation stated that anyone found to have used AI is permanently barred from future editions.

This year’s competition received 1,349 submissions from 32 countries. Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Algeria had the highest number of participants, with Omani entries accounting for 1%. The award has a cash prize of 18,000 Jordanian dinars distributed among the top three winners.

Ruqaya is recognised as one of Oman’s leading writers for young readers. A graduate of Sultan Qaboos University with a degree in Computer Science, she has published several works for teenagers, including The Secret Necklace (2018), The Mysterious Will, The Lost Gold Grant (2021), The Blue Octopus and Silence Amid the Hurricane (2024). Her novel The Boy Who Ran with His Heart was shortlisted for the same award last year.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth congratulated Ruqaya, stating that her success is an important addition to Oman’s literary scene and supports the growth of children’s and youth literature in the sultanate.