The semifinal stage of the “Poet of Universities” competition, organized by the Ministry of Culture- represented by the Qatar Poetry Center “Diwan Al-Arab”, starts tomorrow and it is scheduled to continue until next March at Qatar University. The jury chose a theme for this stage in both Nabati and classical poetry over which poets compose their 15 verses. The theme assigned for classical poetry is on Omar Bin Al-Khatab, while the theme assigned for Nabati (vernacular) poetry is on Al-Khansaa.
Poet Shabib Bin Arar, Director of the Qatar Poetry Center “Diwan Al-Arab”, explained that with the end of the previous stage 12 poets from the two categories were qualified, while during the stage that will start tomorrow only 6 qualified poets will be selected; including three poets in Nabati and three in the classical category. Poets in this stage will present poems with a pre-determined theme, as the new stage of the competition will revolve around historical figures; with the aim of urging poets to research, explore and broaden their horizons. He also explained that the finals on March 1st will be hosted in person with attendees and guests. Finally, he said that the final stages usually witness surprises and he praised the level of the participating poets, noting that this year’s edition has resulted in a number of outstanding creative poets. As for those who did not qualify during the early stages of the competition, they have been actually placed on our agenda at Diwan Al-Arab to support them in the future, said poet Bin Arar; stressing that the level of poets was great throughout the stages of the competition.
For his part, Mr. Abdulaziz Bin Hazeem Al-Maliki affirmed that the competition up to this stage has proven its success and ability to be an important source behind enriching the poetic scene in Qatar with talents. He stressed that Qatar Poetry Center intends to continue supporting these poets on an ongoing basis. He added: “The competition has reached a very advanced stage, where a number of distinguished poets stand before the jury, which makes the jury members adopt the most accurate selection criteria in order to award those who deserve the first three ranks in each of the two categories of the competition.”
It is worth notice that the “ Poet of Universities” competition is held in the two poetry categories of Nabati and classical, and it is open to students of civil and military universities and colleges, whether they are citizens or residents. The prize value amounts to 180, 000 QR for both categories.