Winners of Inaugural Taaleem Poetry Award Announced

At Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2012

Dubai, March 10th 2012: As many as 29 students were awarded with Taaleem Poetry Awards at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature on Saturday. The theme of the poetry competition was "Identity" , which is also the theme of the festival.

Hamza Raza, Aliosha Bielenberg Pittaka, Doughun Kim and Jorge Zarate bagged first prize in the English category while the first prize winners in the Arabic category were Nour Mouthana Hussain, Jasem Akran, Montaha Monther and Alyazeyeh Abdullah.

The competition was divided into four age categories: 11 and under, 12-14, 15-18 and 18 in both English and Arabic. The awards were handed to the winners by distinguished writers and poets John O'Sullivan, Maytha Al Khayyat, Imtiaz Dharker and Taaleem's CEO Ziad Azzam.

Jorge Zarate, first place winner said, "This competition means a lot to me because this is the first poem I have let other people read."

The Taaleem Poetry Award was a new addition to the Literature Festival, which Taaleem is also sponsoring. The competition's theme was chosen by Isobel Abulhoul, the Founder and Director of the Literature Festival, to reflect the overall 2012 Festival's theme of "identity".

Ziad Azzam, Chief Executive Officer, Taaleem, said, "The Taaleem Poetry Award could not have yielded a more positive and encouraging result in its inaugural year. The calibre of submissions in both English and Arabic is indicative of the wealth of young creative talent we have in the country".

"The choice for Taaleem to initiate and partner with the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature through the realm of poetry was a natural and fitting choice since the Arabic language and culture is embedded in the nation's identity; a fact attested by our patron and acclaimed poet His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum".

"Taaleem is both dedicated and committed to nurturing and nourishing the creative literary talent not only within its own extensive school network, but also to extend the platform to all students who want to find their voice through poetic expression".

"We are thrilled at the outcome of our participation and to be here and witness firsthand the excitement, energy and pride of the winners and their friends and families reaffirms our belief that The Taaleem Poetry Award will draw unbelievable regional talent to the forefront,' he concluded.

Festival Director Isobel Abulhoul also expressed her pleasure at the success of the competition and the partnership. "Education and promotion of the love of the written and spoken word is at the core of everything we do and we are delighted to have such a committed partner as Taaleem - a name which of course in English means education!"

"Together we have made a few small steps in helping young people to find their poetic voices. And how beautiful they are!. It is no exaggeration to say we are witnessing the emergence of a remarkable new generation of poets. We can't wait to see the Taaleem Poetry Award submissions for 2013" she said.

English 11 and under

English 12 to 14

1. Aliosha Bielenberg Pittaka (Raha International School, Abu Dhabi), 2. Caren Thomas (Our Own English High School), 3. Greeshma Pradeep (Greenfield Community School)

English 15 to 18

English 18 and above

1. Jorge Zarate (New York University, Abu Dhabi), 2. Farah Nada (American University Sharjah), 3. Cristobal Martinez Yanes

Arabic 11 and under

1. Nour Mouthana Hussein, 2. Fahad Samy Fahad, 3. Mariam Khaled bin Hammad

4. (special mention) Nour Khaled bin Hammad, 5. (special mention) Haya Sami Saleh

Arabic 12-14

1. Jasem Akran, 2. Mohamed Hassan Sukar

Arabic 15-18

1. Montaha Monther, 2. Fatima Al Janahi, 3. Leena Mohamed AlNeil, 4. Anood AlYas

Arabic - 18+