Fez — Six Moroccans have made the final shortlists for the 12th Katara Prize for Arabic Novel, with the selections announced on August 16.
Morocco is represented by three writers across the historical and young adult fiction categories, alongside three researchers shortlisted for unpublished critical studies.
Abdelaali Alami is Morocco’s sole finalist in the unpublished historical novel category with “Oulad Al Wali” (The Children of the Saint). His novel is among nine works remaining in the category.
Morocco also secured two of the nine places in the unpublished young adult fiction category.
Mounir Serhani was selected for “The Boy the Books Saved,” while Younes Didi advanced with “Zoqaq Al-Gherbal” (The Sieve Alley).
The broader shortlist shows Morocco taking two young adult places alongside three entries each from Egypt and Algeria and one from Yemen.
Moroccan researchers stand out in literary criticism
Morocco’s presence is particularly strong in the unpublished critical studies category, where Moroccan researchers hold three of the nine shortlisted positions.
Al Hassan Aït Al Amel was selected for “The Contemporary Arabic Novel in Light of Genetic Criticism: From the Paper Manuscript to Digital,” a study examining how novel-writing processes have changed as authors move from traditional manuscripts to digital drafts.
Hamid El Kettani is shortlisted for “The Contemporary Arabic Novel on the Threshold of Evolution,” which examines methods of classifying and periodizing contemporary Arabic fiction through literary criticism.
Abderrahim Idrissi Bouzidi completes the Moroccan group with “The Novel Confronting Itself: The Representation of Writing in the Moroccan Novel.”
His research focuses on how the act of writing itself is represented and staged within Moroccan fiction.
The three selections give Morocco joint leadership with Egypt in the critical studies shortlist. Jordan, Palestine, and Yemen each have one entry. The organizers’ earlier selection stage had already highlighted Morocco’s strength in this area, with eight Moroccan studies among the previous 18-title list. Qatar News Agency reported the figures in June.
Record interest in the 2026 prize
The 2026 edition received 2,610 submissions, the highest number since the prize was established in 2014. The previous record was 2,321 submissions in 2021.
Across the latest selection stage, 45 novels and nine critical studies remain in contention across the prize’s different categories.
The strong Moroccan showing extends beyond fiction itself, placing the country’s novelists and literary scholars side by side on a major Arab cultural platform.
With six names surviving a record field of submissions, Morocco’s presence in the 2026 competition reflects both the range of its contemporary literary production and the growing visibility of Moroccan scholarship on Arabic fiction.
