The Supreme Council for Culture in Egypt has announced the launch of the Najib Mahfouz Novel Competition for 2026, a prestigious literary award aimed at nurturing the art of novel writing and encouraging innovation in Arabic literature. The competition, held under the auspices of Dr. Abdel Aziz Kanswa, Minister of Higher Education and Acting Minister of Culture, and Dr. Ashraf El-Azazi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Culture, seeks to honor the legacy of the renowned Egyptian writer Najib Mahfouz, the first Arab to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The competition is open to novelists from Egypt and the Arab world, both locally and internationally, and features two main categories: the best Egyptian novel and the best Arabic novel. Each category offers a prize of 75,000 Egyptian pounds. The competition is part of the council's activities to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Mahfouz's passing, which includes a conference held on August 31, 2026, featuring prominent critics, novelists, and specialists in translation and cinema.
To be eligible, novels must have been published between 2024 and 2025. Contestants must submit four printed copies of their novel, along with a digital version in PDF format. The council will not return submitted works after evaluation and does not cover administrative costs for international postal packages. Contestants must also provide a brief CV, a copy of their national ID or passport, and a bank account number.
The submission period for the competition begins on August 1, 2026, and ends on October 15, 2026. Entries can be submitted in person at the Supreme Council for Culture's headquarters or sent by mail to the council's address. Alternatively, contestants can submit their entries via email or through an online application form available on the council's website.
The competition aims to promote and support novelists and encourage them to produce works that reflect the concerns and aspirations of humanity and society, using modern narrative techniques and perspectives. The council's initiative seeks to reinforce Egypt's cultural role in nurturing writers and thinkers.
The Supreme Council for Culture has emphasized that the competition is open to all novelists, regardless of their nationality or place of residence, as long as they meet the eligibility criteria. The council's decision to launch the competition is part of its efforts to preserve and promote Arabic literature and to provide a platform for emerging writers to showcase their talents.
The 2026 Najib Mahfouz Novel Competition is expected to attract a large number of participants from across the Arab world and beyond. The competition's organizers hope that it will help to discover new literary talents and contribute to the development of Arabic literature.
Key points
- The competition offers a prize of 75,000 Egyptian pounds in each of two categories: best Egyptian novel and best Arabic novel.
- The submission deadline for the competition is October 15, 2026.
- The competition is open to novelists from Egypt and the Arab world, both locally and internationally.
