Mr. Saud Abdulaziz Albabtain, President of the Board of Trustees of the Abdulaziz Albabtain Cultural Foundation, announced the winners of the "Diwan of Shuhada Al-Izza Poetry Competition" (Martyrs of Honor Poetry Collection Award) during a press conference held on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at the headquarters of the Albabtain Central Library for Arabic Poetry.

"A Specialized Judging Committee from the Arab World."

Mr. Saud Abdulaziz Albabtain, the Chairman of the Foundation, clarified that by the deadline of November 30, 2023, the Foundation had received 1,410 poems submitted by 1,246 poets representing 36 Arab and foreign countries. He pointed out that the Foundation had begun taking the necessary steps for the arbitration process, presenting the poems that adhered to the general conditions of the competition to a judging panel consisting of five prominent professors, critics, and academics with experience and expertise in the Arab world from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Morocco. The committee's work continued for approximately three months, during which the judges diligently organized and evaluated the poems on a percentile scale.

The evaluations of the members of the judging panel concluded, resulting in the selection of 710 poems for inclusion in the Diwan, along with the selection of the award-winning poems.

"Poets are the Conscience of the Arab Nation."

Albabtain emphasized: "Through our commitment to the cherished approach of our dear late father, may he rest in peace, in valuing poetry in our lives and recognizing its significance in expressing the stances, hopes, and aspirations of the Arab individual, celebrating poets and sharing the belief that they are the conscience of the Arab nation, we have decided to increase the value of the competition prizes as follows:

• The first prize, $15,000, was awarded to the poet Mohammed Abbo from Algeria for his poem "Chanting of the Wind's Drinker."

• The second prize, $10,000, was awarded to the poet Waddah Ali Hassir from Yemen for his poem "A Homeland Praying in Hell."

• The third prize, $5,000, was awarded to Ahmed Sayed Hashim from the Kingdom of Bahrain for his poem "A Martyr Dyed with Roses."

Mr. Saud Abdulaziz Albabtain, the Chairman of the Foundation, also announced a special ceremony to be held for the distribution of the competition prizes to the winning poets on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at the Central Albabtain Library for Arabic Poetry. The event will be attended by the foundation's board of trustees, a select group of participating poets, and prominent critics and journalists from various Arab countries.