The AlMultaqa award has opened for entries, with a longlist to be announced in October, amid hopes that judging will be fully impartial
Suspicion clings to Arabic literary prizes, particularly the newest ones. As soft power concentrates more and more in Gulf nations, often in the form of artistic disbursements, writers have to ask: what sort of literature is being fostered? Which agendas is it supporting? Some prizes have elicited instant condemnations, others a whirl of gossip.
But when the new AlMultaqa prize was announced in December, there was cautious enthusiasm. The prize, which has begun accepting entries as 2016 starts, is based in Kuwait, a partnership between a cultural circle led by Kuwaiti writer Taleb Alrefai and the American University in Kuwait. The $20,000 (£13,300) prize is for short stories, a genre that has been neglected in the scramble for global literary influence.
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