The upcoming poetic event, in its sixth year, is reminiscent of the pre-Islamic poetic contest to identify the poet of the year at a popular fair called Okaz.

According to the new terms for the sixth Okaz Poet Prize, a contestant should have written a modern Qaseedah (ode). The poet’s entire poetry work will also be considered along with his recent work.

The winner of the prize will be honored with the title of Arab Poet of the Year and decorated with the Okaz Shield for the Hijri year 1433 (2011-2012) and a Burdah (garment of honor) in addition to a cash award of SR300,000. The winner will also recite his poem at the opening function of the Okaz Souk.

The committee also decided to launch another contest entitled the Okaz Youth Poet which carries a cash prize of SR100,000.

Another prize instituted this year is for the best Saudi scientific innovator. The SR100,000 prize will be awarded to a researcher who has presented an internationally approved paper or received a patent for an invention that would be of great service to humanity. This year’s prize is to assess contributions in the field of nanotechnology.

The calligraphy prize is SR100,000 while the photography prize is SR140,000.

Four prizes worth SR150,000 will be given to the best innovative handicrafts work, especially to Saudi craftsmen or women who use rare skills in the field. The folklore prize will be given to the best folk art team in the Makkah province.

Another decision of the meeting was to select the classical Arabian poet Antarah bin Shaddad as the poetic personality for this year’s annual drama presentation.

A literary team has been assigned the task to write the script for the drama on Antarah to be staged on the opening event of the souk.

The meeting also decided to entrust the chambers of commerce in Jeddah, Makkah and Taif to draw up plans to make the souk an economic success.

The Makkah governorate, SCTA, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Culture and Information and Taif governorate are working hard to ensure the success of the souk.

Events of the souk include a number of lectures, seminars, and cultural and poetic evenings with the participation of Saudi and Arab thinkers, writers and poets.

A number of exhibitions will also be organized as part of the fair.

The souk of ancient times played a vital role in the development of a unified Arab language and culture. The festival was held in the commercial souk that centered on the convergence of important trade routes bringing spices, frankincense, silver and silk from the Indian Ocean markets to the Mediterranean harbors. The poetry produced there includes some of the most famous and highly appreciated classical Arabic poetry known as Al-Muallaqat.