Sultan Qaboos Higher Center for Culture and Science announced today the winners of the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Culture, Arts and Letters in its eighth session, which went to Egyptian Ali Hajjar and Iraqi on behalf of Furat.
"The Sultan Qaboos Prize for Culture, Arts and Letters is an annual award that is granted on a rotating basis every two years to be appreciated in a year in which Arabs compete, and another year for Omanis only," Habib bin Mohammed Al Riyami, secretary general of the center, told a press conference.
He added «the award included this year three areas for Arabs in general, namely areas of sociology studies for the branch of culture, and Arab Arabs for the branch of arts, and travel literature for the branch of literature».
He pointed out that the award was withheld in the field of sociology, while won in the field of Arab music artist Ali Hajjar from Egypt and in the field of travel literature won by writer Bassem Mohammed Furat from Iraq, and resident in New Zealand.
The number of nominees for the award this year reached 157, including 78 in the field of sociology studies, 27 in the field of Arab music and 52 in the field of travel literature.
Each winner receives the Sultan Qaboos Medal for Culture, Science, Arts and Letters and a sum of RO 100,000.