Forty-two Arab poets from 16 countries have been chosen from 150 hopefuls to compete in the seventh season of the Prince of Poets competition.
The Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festival Committee in Abu Dhabi said that further tests and assessments are being carried out before the selection of final 20 who will appear live on the show, which is shown on Abu Dhabi TV and Baynounah TV.
The applicants who progressed were selected after interviews to test their creativity, linguistic flair and expression, carried out by judges Dr Ali Bin Tamim from the UAE, Dr Salah Fadhl from Egypt and Dr Abdul Malek Mortadh from Algeria.
Also involved were Issa Seif Al Mazrouei, the committee's director of the department for special policies and projects, Sultan Al Amimi, director of the committee's poetry academy, Dr Ahmed Khurais, and poet Raad Bandar, from the Prince of Poets TV programm's advisory committee.
One poet from the UAE is among the final 42: Ali Khamis Al Abdan Al Shamesi.
The contest is one of the most-watched reality-TV shows in the region. It aims to celebrate and encourage great works of Arab poetry and literature. It also highlights Arab cultural heritage and promotes the contemporary poetry scene in the Arab world.
The first of three pre-recorded episodes covering the initial selection process was broadcast on Tuesday, January 31. The series will continue on Tuesday nights, with live episodes featuring the final 20 contestants beginning on February 21 and continuing for 10 weeks.
aahmed@thenational.ae
