The Aga Khan Museum in Canada was founded to highlight the contributions of Muslim civilisations and their deep connections with the wider world. That mission came into focus from June 2025 until February this year, when the Toronto institution hosted As the Sun Appears from Beyond: Twenty Years of the Al Burda Award – an exhibition bringing together 60 winning works from the UAE-based initiative.
Al Burda Award has evolved from a poetry-focused initiative in the UAE into a major platform for Islamic art and culture. Organisers are now placing greater emphasis on emerging artists, international collaboration and contemporary interpretations of traditional art forms.
New rhythm
Launched in 2004 by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture initiative has honoured more than 420 creatives from around the world across poetry, Arabic calligraphy and ornamentation.
Shatha Al Mulla, assistant undersecretary for the national identity and arts sector at the Ministry of Culture, says the award has evolved significantly over the past two decades, and organisers have also introduced contemporary subcategories aimed at encouraging younger artists to participate.
Among poetry, for instance, the award includes not only classical and Nabati poetry, but also free verse, which Al Mulla said has proven particularly appealing to writers who are just starting.
Other additions are the contemporary calligraphy and modern ornamentation categories, which are available alongside traditional Arabic calligraphy and typography.
“We don’t want to only focus on the pioneers in the field,” Al Mulla said. “We also want to encourage more of the youth and the emerging artists.”
The initiative has expanded beyond the award itself, too, evolving into a broader cultural programme that includes exhibitions, performances, workshops and discussions, “a festival, not just an award”, says Al Mulla that examines both the history and future “of Islamic art and culture”.
'They like the form of calligraphy'
That international ambition is increasingly reflected in the award’s reach. In 2025, it received more than 1,300 submissions, representing an increase of 23 per cent compared to the previous year, with artists from about 50 countries taking part.
While the award remains rooted in Arabic and Islamic artistic traditions, organisers said participation from non-Arab and non-Muslim majority countries has recently become a defining feature. Artists from Japan, China, Germany, Canada and France have all submitted works.
“What’s interesting is that a lot of these artists don’t read or write Arabic, but they like the form of calligraphy,” Al Mulla said, adding that the UAE views Arabic not only as a language to preserve domestically, but also as a means of cultural exchange internationally.
Winning works from the competition become part of the Ministry of Culture’s permanent collection and are regularly exhibited abroad, such as the aforementioned exhibition in Canada that showcased works back from 2004.
“For a lot of people who don’t necessarily understand Islamic art or culture, we see that it’s opening channels,” Al Mulla says. “We want to have a people-to-people connection between countries.”
Growing the art family
This year's contest will centre on the theme Family: Tranquillity and Mercy, aligning with the UAE’s Year of Family. Organisers said the theme draws from Quranic verses and prophetic teachings centred on compassion, kinship and social cohesion.
“For us, family is the vehicle of values,” Al Mulla said. “Not only the immediate family, but also the extended family, neighbours and wider society.”
Registration for the 2026 Al Burda Award is open until August 22. Judging will take place in September ahead of the award ceremony on November 24.
Indonesia has been named guest of honour for the upcoming event, with organisers highlighting the country’s blend of Islamic, Javanese, Hindu and Buddhist artistic traditions as an example of the diversity and global reach of Islamic art today.
