Wednesday 25 / March / 2026
Muscat: The Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science at the Diwan of Royal Court announced today the opening of nominations for the Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature in its 13th edition for 2026. This edition is designated for Omani, with competition restricted to Omani nationals only.
The award fields have been designated as follows: "Family and Childhood Studies in the Sultanate of Oman" for the Culture branch, "Arabic Calligraphy" for the Arts branch, and "Short Story" for the Literature branch.
The Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature is, by its established framework, an annual award presented on a biennial rotational basis. It is designated as Arab in one year, in which Omanis compete alongside their Arab counterparts, and exclusively Omani in the following year.
The award is divided into three permanent branches: Culture, Arts and Literature. Within each branch, multiple fields are specified. The Culture branch encompasses various cultural works and writings across the humanities and social sciences generally, including language, history, heritage, philosophy, translation, intellectual studies, economic studies, sociological studies, historical studies and environmental studies. The Arts branch is concerned with artistic output in all its globally recognized forms, such as music, visual arts, sculpture, photography, acting, directing, programming, and Arabic calligraphy. The Literature branch encompasses various literary genres, including poetry, the novel, the short story, literary criticism, playwriting, the essay and biographies.
The Sultan Qaboos Higher Center for Culture and Science oversees the administration of the award process, including determining the award branches, announcing the opening and closing dates for nominations, forming screening and adjudication committees, setting the dates for announcing results, and organizing the award ceremony.
The award aims to support cultural, artistic and literary fields as a means of advancing human civilization, contributing to scientific development and intellectual enrichment, consolidating the process of knowledge accumulation, and instilling values of authenticity and innovation in rising generations by providing a fertile environment grounded in intellectual and knowledge-based competition.
The award seeks to open avenues for competition in the fields of science and knowledge rooted in research and innovation, and to honor intellectuals, artists, and writers for their civilizational contributions to the renewal of thought and the elevation of human sensibilities—affirming Oman's past, present, and future contributions to enriching human civilization with material, intellectual and knowledge-based achievements.
The winner of the award in its Omani edition will be conferred the Order of Merit for Culture, Science, Arts and Literature, in addition to a monetary prize of RO 50,000.
It is worth noting that participants and those wishing to nominate themselves may register via the official website: www.sqa.gov.om.
