Turki Al Sheikh, Chairman of the Saudi Entertainment Authority, revealed today, Wednesday, the members of the committee for the "Golden Pen Award for Most Influential Literature," aimed at enriching the film industry in the region and supporting creative talents in novel writing from all nationalities and ages. The committee is chaired by Saudi writer and novelist Dr. Saad Al-Bazai, with Saudi novelist, translator, and screenwriter Abdullah Bin Bakheet as his deputy.
The committee includes Saudi writer and novelist Abdu Khal, Kuwaiti novelist Saud Al-Sanousi, Egyptian novelist Ahmed Mourad, Saudi novelist Dr. Badriya Al-Bashir, Saudi writer and screenwriter Mufrij Al-Majfal, Egyptian writer and screenwriter Salah Al-Juhaini, Egyptian film critic Tarek Al-Shenawy, Egyptian screenwriter Sharif Naguib, Adel Kyel, expert and consultant to the Board of Directors of the Entertainment Authority, Egyptian screenwriter Maryam Naoum, Egyptian director Mohamed Khudair, Egyptian film producer Ahmed Badawy, Egyptian director Khairy Bishara, Lebanese producer Sadiq Al-Sabbah, Egyptian film director Marwan Hamed, and Saudi film director and producer Abdul Ilah.
The award focuses on the most popular novels with potential for adaptation into films, divided into several tracks; the most prominent being the "Grand Awards" track, where the top two winning novels will be adapted into films, granting the first place winner $100,000, the second place $50,000, and the third place $30,000.
The "Novel" track includes several categories, such as Best "Thriller and Suspense," "Comedy," "Mystery and Crime," "Fantasy," "Horror," "Historical," "Romance," and "Realism," with the first place in each category receiving $25,000, totaling $200,000 across all categories.
The "Best Screenplay Adapted from a Literary Work" track will convert the first and second place winners into films, with $100,000 awarded to the first place, $50,000 to the second, and $30,000 to the third.
The competition includes additional prizes, where the best translated novel will receive $100,000, the best Arab publisher $50,000, while the winner of the "Audience Award" will receive $30,000, determined by voting through the dedicated electronic platform.
