Three Saudis, an Iraqi, a Briton also win prizesJEDDAH – Shawki Baze, a Lebanese man, was named Okaz Poet on Tuesday. The top award in Souq Okaz includes the Medal of Arab Poetry and SR300,000. Three Saudis, an Iraqi and a Briton also won Souq Okaz prizes which were announced here by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah and Chairman of the Higher Supervisory Committee for Souq Okaz. The Okaz Youth Prize, which is given to a young Saudi poet and includes a SR100,000 award, was given to Naji Bin Ali Hraba. The Painting and Poem Prize, which recognizes art that is linked to poetry, was awarded to Saudi plastic artist Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Rebat. He won the award, which includes a SR100,000 prize, for his painting “Horse.” The Prize of Arabic Calligraphy, which recognizes its beauty and role in documenting the Arabic Islamic heritage, was awarded to Sabah Al-Arbeali, a Briton residing in Qatar, and Mathna Al-Obaidi, an Iraqi. The award, which encourages calligraphers to explore the status of the Arabic calligraphy in the Arabic culture, includes an award of SR100,000. The next Souq Okaz Festival will be one of the most important platforms that serve and recognize the Arabic language and poetry, Prince Khaled said at the meeting in which the awards were announced. “Poetry is one of the basic pillars that made the Souq become a window for the Arabic culture in the ancient times, specifically during the pre-Islamic era,” he said. Committee members at the meeting included Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah, Minister of Education; Dr. Abdul Aziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information; Dr. Ali Al-Ghaban representing Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Secretary General of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities; and Sa'ad Mareq, the committee's secretary general.
