Saudi Arabia unveils Golden Pen fiction award with $690,00 prize pool

Saudi Arabia has launched an award for fiction writing, with winners sharing total prizemoney of $690,000 and successful works to be adapted into film.

Unveiling the Golden Pen Award for Novels on Saturday, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, said that the competition will benefit Arab novelists and the regional film industry.

The competition will be open to original works in Arabic, and all nationalities and ages will be eligible.

In a post on social media platform X, Alalshikh said that the first and second-place winners of the grand prize will be awarded $100,000 and $50,000, respectively, with their works being adapted into films produced by the GEA.

The third place winner will receive $30,000.

Additionally, the Novel Tracks Awards will grant $25,000 each to the best novels in categories such as romance, thriller, mystery, comedy, action, fantasy, investigative, horror, and historical fiction.

Prizes for the Best Screenplay Adapted from a Literary Work will also be awarded, with $100,000 for first place, $50,000 for second, and $30,000 for third. The Best Translated Novel Award will offer $100,000, while the Audience Award, determined through a dedicated electronic voting platform, will provide $30,000.

Alalshikh said that the main judging panel will consist of three novelists, three screenwriters, and three producers from the Arab world, along with an auxiliary committee for the initial screening stage.

Competition winners will be announced at a grand awards ceremony to be broadcast on television and various platforms.