Amman, April 1, 2026 – Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation has closed submissions for the 20th Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Children’s Literature, in the short story category under the theme: Childhood: A World of Challenges”, targeting children aged 6 and above.
The Foundation received 2,800 submissions, including 1,746 complete applications and 1,054 incomplete submissions that did not meet the application requirements.
Submissions were received from 20 Arab countries and 25 non-Arab countries. The highest participation came from Egypt (26%), Jordan (18.6%), Syria (17.5%), Algeria (8.9%), Palestine (8.4%), Morocco (5%), Tunisia (3.5%), Iraq (2.7%), Yemen (2.6%), Lebanon (1.9%), Saudi Arabia (1.3%), Libya (0.8%), Oman and Sudan (0.7% each), Bahrain (0.5%), Kuwait and the UAE (0.3% each), and Qatar, Eritrea, and Djibouti (0.1% each).
Within Jordan, Amman recorded the highest participation at 65.5%, followed by Zarqa (9%), Irbid (8%), Balqa (6%), Madaba, Ajloun, Karak, and Aqaba (2% each), Ma’an, Tafilah, and Mafraq (1% each), and Jerash (0.5%).
In a press statement issued today, the Foundation said submissions will undergo an initial screening to ensure compliance with the award’s criteria, after which they will be reviewed by a specialized jury. The winners are expected to be announced in the third quarter of this year.
Since 2006, Shoman has organized this annual award for writers in the Arab world and beyond. Submissions are evaluated based on language and style, content and ideas, originality, creativity, and innovation.
The award is presented annually in one of the following children’s literature genres: short story, poetry, novel, and children’s theatrical script. It includes a certificate, a trophy bearing the award’s name and logo, and a total prize of JOD 18,000, awarded as follows: JOD 10,000 for first place, JOD 5,000 for second place, and JOD 3,000 for third place.
Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, Arab Bank’s arm for cultural and social responsibility, is a non-profit institution dedicated to investing in knowledge, culture, and social creativity to support the advancement of Arab societies through thought leadership, literature, the arts, and innovation.