We are launching the second edition of the Arabic poetry contest with the theme chosen by the “Printemps des poètes”: Grace. Following the succes of the 2022 edition themed “The Emphemeral,” the IFE (the cultural section and the Department of Modern Arabic Instruction [DEAC]) is once again joining with the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology (IFAO) to organize the contest. There will be two sections: one for poets who are native speakers of Arabic and the second for Arabic language learners.
In each section, poems may be submitted in Standard Arabic (fusha) or in Egyptian colloquial. The poems must be no longer that 1000 characters (including spaces) and must be in keeping with the theme of the contest.
Participants must :
– Be at least 18 years of age
– For poets participating in the native speaker section: they have to reside in Egypt
– For Arabic language learners: all participants will be accepted
For each section, two poems in Standard Arabic and two poems in Egyptian colloquial will be accepted. There will therefore be eight laureates.
The poems will be selected by a jury of instructors, writers, and poets.
The poems will be translated into French by DEAC students. A collection will be published containing the poems and translations. The collection will be printed by the IFAO printing studio and distributed at an Evening reading as part of the Rues de la Paix event, which will be organized by the IFE in April 2024.
The poems must be submitted before 14TH February 2024 at the following address: concourspoesie2024@gmail.com
***The subject of the email must include the following information:
-section: native Arabic speaker or Arabic language learner
-register: Fusha or dialect***
Please confirm that you will be in Cairo for the awards ceremony that will be held around 15 April 2024.
Schedule :
• 14 February 2024: deadline to submit the texts to the address : concourspoesie2024@gmail.com
• 14-39 February: the jury will select the eight poems
• 3-22 March: the Mahmoud Darwish class of the DEAC will translate the eight poems
• 22 March-12 April: IFAO will print the collection
• Mid-April: distribution of collections and reading during the event: Les Rues de la Paix
Note: the email address above is only to receive submissions, not for questions from participant
