press releases

The Emirates Novel Award, an initiative powered by twofour54, today announced opening the door for submissions to its third Novelist Programme training cycle which aims at attracting and developing aspiring novelists and honing their skills in writing creative and fantasy novels and literature. The deadline for accepting submissions is 30 June and the programme’s workshops will commence in July.

The Novelists Programme provides 20 Emiratis training opportunities to learn about professional novel writing techniques with renowned Arab novelists who will share with them tips and guidelines on how to write engaging novels that match the expectations of Arab and local readers. Workshops of the Novelist Programme will be held in Arabic at #thelab at twofour54, 2-3 days a month over a period of eight months.

Maryam Al Mheiri, Acting CEO of twofour54, commented: “Nurturing Emirati talent and developing their skills is one of our core objectives at twofour54. We aim to create an environment that contributes to polishing their skills and enhancing their abilities through launching different initiatives and projects that support this objective. The Novelist Programme fits perfectly with our talent development efforts as it offers training opportunities to creative Emirati talent and connects them with top experts in the creative industry.”

Jamal Al Shehhi, Secretary General of the Emirates Novel Award, added: “I would like to encourage talented writers and those interested in writing novels to participate in this cycle and enrich the local literature scene with their creative contributions. The Novelist Programme is open for all UAE citizens in all age groups who are looking for opportunities to develop their writing skills and reaching different audiences across the globe. Upon successful completion of the programme, participants will be able to publish their novels and submit them for a chance to win the prestigious Emirates Novel Award.”

A number of illustrators who are members of twofour54’s creative lab will participate in designing creative and attractive book covers for the published novels. The Programme’s trainees will have their biographies published on creative lab’s interactive online platform which allows members to showcase their projects, search for collaboration opportunities, and share their experiences with talent agencies and the wider audience.

Selected participants will be chosen by a dedicated jury based on their writing abilities and their commitment to the programme and will be announced in early July. Participation fee is AED 500 for the duration of eight months. Interested individuals can submit their applications via e-mail at: info@emiratesnovelaward.ae.

The Emirates Novel Award and twofour54 will hold a graduation ceremony for the novelists at #thelab upon completion of the programme.

Back to news press listing