Bait AlGhasham DarArab International Translation Prize Announces
Winners of Third Cycle

Muscat, 12 Feb 2026 (ONA) — The Bait AlGhasham DarArab
International Translation Prize has announced the winning works of its third
cycle for 2026, following the completion of all judging stages and final
reviews in accordance with the Prize’s established professional standards.

The Prize is dedicated to translating Arabic literature into
English and aims to strengthen its global presence through professional
translation and international publishing, while also adopting literary works
within an integrated production framework.

According to official statistics, the 2026 cycle received 346
submissions in the Authors Category, 34 submissions in the Translators
Category, and 10 submissions in the Omani Publications Category.

In the Translators Category, the award was granted to the
English translation produced by American translator Katherine Van de Vate of
the novel Cairo Marquette by Tareq Imam.

The jury noted that the translation successfully recreates the
underlying tension of the original text through an independent English voice
that preserves a surface calm while conveying deeper unease. The translation
renders the novel’s strangeness and violence with measured stylistic precision,
granting the work a strong presence in its new language.

In the Authors Category, the prize was awarded to the novel
Ka’inGhayr Sawi (An Abnormal Being) by Chadian writer Tahir Al-Noor.

The jury described the novel as a tightly constructed narrative
that engages with human fragility as an existential condition. It generates
tension from within through compact language and careful structure, avoiding
ready-made judgments and opening the text to multiple interpretations.

In Omani Publications Category, the winning work was the
short-story collection Qawanin Al-Faqd (Laws of Loss) by Mazen Habeeb.

In its comments, the jury noted that the collection presents a
cohesive body of stories that sensitively explores Omani village life. Through
restrained, sometimes lyrical language, it engages themes of loss, death, and
abandonment, with close attention to local detail and a credible, emotionally
resonant narrative world.

The Bait AlGhasham – DarArab International Translation Prize
comprises three main categories:
the Translators Category, which is dedicated to unpublished English
translations of previously published Arabic literary works, with the winning
translation published by DarArab for Publishing & Translation in the United
Kingdom;
the Authors Category, which focuses on unpublished Arabic works and includes
publishing the winning work in Arabic, translating it into English, and
publishing the translation; and the Omani Publications Category, which
recognizes published Omani literary works, with the Prize facilitating the
translation of the winning work into English and the publication of the
translation as part of DarArab’s publishing programme.

The winning works and their translations are expected to be
published by DarArab for Publishing & Translation in the second half of
2027, in line with the Prize’s vision as a genuine production and publishing
platform that works to discover contemporary voices in Arabic literature and
translation, carry the winning works into English, and strengthen their global
presence.

The award ceremony and accompanying events will take place as
part of Muscat International Book Fair, to be held from 26 March to 5 April
2026.
The Prize also announced that submissions for the fourth cycle (2027) will open
on Friday, 20 March 2026.

— Ends/AH