Al Burda Award 2025 (210,000 AED)

 Al Burda Award 2025: Celebrating Unity Through Islamic Arts

Launched in 2004 by the UAE Ministry of Culture, the Al Burda Award is a prestigious global platform honoring excellence in Islamic arts, Arabic language, and cultural heritage. Its 2025 edition—the 19th—aligns with the UAE’s “Year of Community,” inviting artists to reflect on social cohesion and unity inspired by Surah Al-Hujurat (verse 13):

“O mankind... made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another…” (burda.ae)

Themes & Categories

Theme 2025: Social Cohesion & Unity—exploring how diverse communities can harmonize in shared values through art (burda.ae, burda.ae).

Art categories:

• Poetry: Classical, Nabati, and Free Verse
• Arabic Calligraphy: Classical, Contemporary, Typography Design
• Ornamentation: Traditional and Contemporary forms (burda.ae)

 Poetry: A Deep Literary Tradition

Poetry honors the legacy of Imam Al‑Busiri’s "Qasidat al‑Burda" and showcases Arabic’s rich literary heritage.

• Classical Poetry: Must follow ta’filah meter—or vertical-style—between 15–35 lines/verses. Entries must be original, unpublished, and strictly on theme. One submission per poet. 1st to 5th prizes range from 70K to 20K AED (burda.ae).

• Free Verse Poetry: Focus on expressive content aligned with Al-Noor theme; open forms with up to three prizes (70K, 50K, 30K AED) (burda.ae).

• Nabati Poetry: Rooted in vernacular Arabic traditions; 15–30 verses, original, unpublished work, awarded similarly to classical form (burda.ae).

 Arabic Calligraphy & Ornamentation

• Classical Calligraphy: Focus on traditional scripts like Thuluth and Jali, tied to the Al-Noor theme. Prizes awarded to the top five entries (70K–20K AED) .

• Contemporary Calligraphy / Typography: Encourages innovation using typographic design, experimental scripts, multimedia, all within the Noor framework. A 150 × 150 cm canvas is typical. Top winners awarded similarly (70K AED for 1st place, etc.).

• Ornamentation: Two sub-categories—traditional and contemporary—rewarding artwork that integrates Islamic geometric design into modern contexts. Winners receive up to 160K AED per sub-category .

Prize Structure & Total Awards

• Main categories (Poetry, Calligraphy, Ornamentation): total prize pool 210,000 AED, distributed across top five winners per category (70K–20K AED).

• New sub-categories (e.g., Free Verse, Typography, Contemporary Ornamentation): each offers 160,000 AED to top winners .

Timeline & Registration (2025 Edition)

Phase	Dates
Registration & Digital Submission	4 June – 30 September 2025
Physical Artwork Shipment Deadline	30 September – 13 October 2025

Participants submit digital entries and, for Calligraphy & Ornamentation, ship physical artworks by October 13, 2025 (burda.ae).

Cultural Reach & National Spotlight

• The award highlights global and regional artwork celebrating Islamic heritage in modern expression.

• Morocco was the Guest of Honor at the 18th edition (December 2024), with its School of Arts of Tétouan and poet Yassine Hazkar recognized for contributions in poetry and ornamentation—reflecting shared creative ties across the Islamic world (burda.ae, Anwarpress English).

Why the Al Burda Award Matters

• Unearths global artistic talent across centuries-old arts.

• Bridges tradition and innovation, encouraging contemporary voices in Arabic arts.

• Large prize awards reinforce recognition and support for creators across disciplines.

• Promotes unity through art by honoring themes of diversity, tolerance, and collective heritage.

 How to Participate

Visit the official Al Burda Award website to register and upload your digital entries.
For physical submissions (calligraphy, ornamentation), follow shipping instructions to ensure artworks arrive before the mid‑October deadline.

The Al Burda Award 2025 isn’t just a competition—it’s a global call to artists, poets, and calligraphers to contribute to a unified vision: celebrating Islamic art as a vessel of identity, coherence, and creative dialogue in a diverse world.

Would you like help drafting submission materials in Arabic, brainstorming ideas, or translating key guidelines?