The Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority has announced the opening of entries for the Poetic Emulation (Mujarat) competition. Organised as part of the UAE-Kuwait Relations Week, the competition honours the enduring poetic legacy shared by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the late Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
The competition offers poets the opportunity to submit a Nabati emulation of a poem by Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and the response by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Submissions must adhere to the same metre, rhyme, and theme, underscoring the fraternal ties and the shared distinctive poetic taste that unites the two brotherly nations.
Participation is open to poets aged 18 and above. Submitted works must be Nabati poems that comply with the prescribed theme, metre, and rhyme of the original verses.
The competition terms further stipulate that entries must be original, unpublished works that have not been previously submitted to any other platform or competitive forum. Poets are invited to submit one original emulation consisting of eight to 10 verses. Submissions failing to meet these specifications or received after 28 January 2026 will be ineligible for consideration. The organising authority reserves the right to use and publish the winning poems while preserving the poet’s literary and media rights.
The authority will accept entries via email at Poems@aha.gov.ae or through WhatsApp at 0097150-2310333. A total prize pool of AED60,000 has been allocated for the winners, to be distributed as follows: AED30,000 for first place, AED20,000 for second place, and AED10,000 for third place.
This competition underscores the cultural role of Nabati poetry in documenting fraternal ties, promoting creative exchange between Emirati and Kuwaiti poets, and drawing inspiration from the values and principles established by its late founding leaders.
