ALGIERS – Wednesday, 08 November 2023 (APS) – Algerian novelist Wassini Laaradj won the Sultan Qaboos award for culture, arts and literature in its 10th edition dedicated to Arab authors, in the category of Novels (literature), the Omani press said Wednesday.

Omani academic and researcher Abdallah Ben Khemis El Kindi won the award for media and communication studies (culture), while the award for film direction (arts) was withheld.

The Sultan Qaboos award for culture, arts and literature is awarded alternately and periodically every two years, with one edition dedicated to Omani and Arab creators, and the next to Omani creators.

Under the auspices of Sultan Qaboos Higher Center for Culture and Sciences, this award aims to promote cultural, artistic, and literary fields as a means to bolster civilization and human development, contribute to scientific progress and intellectual enrichment, in addition to upholding the acquisition of knowledge and the values of authenticity and innovation among the upcoming generations, by providing a supportive environment for intellectual competition.