Tunisian Writer Imed Jelassi Wins Mustapha Azouz Arab Prize for Children's Literature

Tunisian author Imed Jelassi has clinched the top honor at the 17th Mustapha Azouz Arab Prize for Children's Literature for his tale, "Al Ayn Al Harissa" (The Guardian Eye). The prestigious award, carrying a value of 12,000 dinars, was presented during an official ceremony in Tunis, concluding the 17th Arab Forum for Children's Literature.

This year's forum, held on June 12 and 13, centered on the theme "Narrative Structures in Fictional Literature for Arab Children." The Mustapha Azouz prize is open to Arabic-language writers submitting stories for readers aged 12 to 16, as well as young people and children aged 9 to 18 from various Arab countries.

Alongside Jelassi, the event recognized other talents. Noureddine Ben Boubaker, also from Tunisia, secured the second prize of 8,000 dinars for "Qariat al awham" (The Village of Illusions). Taleb Kadhem from Iraq received the third prize of 5,000 dinars for "Attarik Ela Ouadi Attabab" (The Path to the Valley of Fog). Notably, both Jelassi and Ben Boubaker are past recipients of this award, having won in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

In the "young authors" category, a special encouragement award, the Souad Affes prize (1,000 dinars), was given to 14-year-old Chahd Hannachi from Tunisia for "Hibron lam yajeffa baad" (An Ink That Has Not Yet Dried). Hannachi, from El Krib, recently received recognition from Tunisian President Kais Saied. Other encouragement awards went to Zouha Jassem of Iraq for "Al Khawfou Yattir" (Fear Flies Away) and 8-year-old Anas Bounasri from Tunisia for "Ana laha" (I Am Up to It), who drew inspiration from personal experience and credited his mother's support.

The jury, chaired by Tunisian writer Nafila Dhahab, reviewed 130 submissions from professional writers across several Arab nations, Mali, and Canada, in addition to 17 entries from young participants. The Arab Forum for Children's Literature is an annual two-day cultural gathering organized by the Association of the Children's Literature Forum, in partnership with the Arab Tunisian Bank, the exclusive financial supporter of the Mustapha Azouz Prize. This year's scientific sessions featured experts discussing diverse topics, including Sufi dimensions in youth narration, transformations in narrative writing, and the transmission of values in bildungsromans.