277 contestants register for Souk Okaz prizes

Two-hundred and seventy-seven contestants from within the Kingdom and outside have so far registered their entries for the annual Souk Okaz prizes for 2012.
In a press statement, the festival’s general secretariat urged Arab poets, painters, calligraphers, photographers and inventors in science who are yet to register to send their entries before the deadline of July 15.
It will receive nominations for six categories on its website (www.sooqokaz.com) or through its postal address, which is: P.O. Box 4, Taif, 21944.
The secretariat noted some contestants — both individuals and institutions — had delayed sending their entries until the last moment and thus lost the chance to take part in past competitions.
Speaking to Arab News, Muhammad Samman, spokesman of Souk Okaz, said the competition was restricted to the Arab world.
He said prizes worth SR 800,000 would be given to the winning Okaz poet and Okaz young poet as well as winners in scientific excellence, Arabic calligraphy, photography and painting.
Another two prizes worth SR 320,000 will awarded to those who showcase the best handicrafts and stage outstanding folk arts at the fair.
Samman urged the literary clubs and cultural organizations throughout the Arab world to submit their nominations quickly.
There will not be any changes in the basic conditions set for each category of the competition.
Samman said: “A recent meeting of Souq Okaz’s supervisory committee chaired by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, approved two basic standards for the Okaz Poet award.”
He added the poetic work should be modern in style.
In addition to this, the number of poems produced by the contestant would also be taken into account.
The winner gets the title of Okaz Poet in addition to the Okaz Shield for the year 1433H and a financial award of SR 300,000.
The winner also gets an invitation to attend Souq Okaz and recite his poem at the inaugural ceremony.
He said the Okaz young poet will be chosen from among Arab poets under the age of 30 who write poems in classic Arabic containing good ideas.
For the second year in a row, the scientific creativity prize will be given for creative research or for a patent for an invention serving humanity in the field of nanotechnology. The prize money for each is SR 100,000.
For the remaining three categories of photography, calligraphy and painting, the first prizewinners will get SR 50,000 while the second and third prizewinners will be given SR 30,000 and SR 20,000 respectively.
Prominent Arab intellectuals, poets, thinkers and artists will attend Souk Okaz, the prestigious event showcasing the culture and history of the Kingdom.
This year’s fair is expected to be held in September at Taif’s Al-Arfa area.
The fair is aims to evoke the pre-Islamic era where poets used to gather to recite their poetry.