'Knowledge without Borders' hosts 'Junior Author' contest

Sharjah - KWB will honour a winner in the competition every two days throughout the festival, which runs from April 20-30, bringing the total number of winners to five by its close.

Budding novelists are being given the chance to shine at Sharjah Children's ReadingFestival (SCRF), the region's leading literary event for young people. Knowledge without Borders (KWB), a Sharjah-based cultural project committed to enhancing reading in young people and adults, is participating at the festival currently underway at Expo Centre Sharjah with its 'Junior Author' contest - a competition for aspiring Little writers.
Junior Author is open for all children aged 7 to 15 years attending SCRF, which is now in its eighth edition. Youngsters wishing to test their writing skills in the competition will receive a booklet from the organisers where they compose their individual stories, including artwork. The rules of the contest state that the narrative should be written in classical Arabic and should not exceed six pages in length. KWB will honour a winner in the competition every two days throughout the festival, which runs from April 20-30, bringing the total number of winners to five by its close.
"In line with 2016 being declared as the 'Year of Reading' by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, KWB has prepared a special integrated cultural programme for SCRF 2016 that celebrates the world of reading and writing. The Junior Author contest is a main element of this programme and aims to discover and expose our children's talents in the areas of authorship and narration," said Rashid Al Kous, General Manager of KWB.
The Junior Author competition aspires to enhance the continuity of intellectual output in the UAE by encouraging children to enter the world of storytelling through writing. The activity forms part of KWB's wider '1001 Titles' initiative, which aims to launch one-thousand-an-one new Arabic book titles this year and the next. Launched by KWB last February, 1001 Titles is among the most prominent activities being highlighted by KWB as part of its participation at SCRF 2016.
The programme is being backed up by an array of cultural and recreational events through which it seeks to enhance the culture of reading in the UAE, as well as highlight children's literature skills, with the Junior Author a main component during the 11 days of the festival.
"Knowledge without Borders continues its participation at the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival by disseminating and promoting culture and knowledge among the citizens and residents of the Emirate of Sharjah and the UAE. The organisation is committed to deepening individuals' relationship with books and reading in general and improving and enhancing the value of literature for young people everywhere," added Al Kous."Our participation at the eighth edition of SCRF through 1001 Titles allow us to shed light on its objectives through attracting a wide audience, which includes a significant number of national and international publishing houses taking part in the event," he continued.
KWB was launched as an initiative by His Highness Dr. Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah and is supervised and supported by Shaikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Head of the Organising Committeeof KWB. The initiative aims to establish reading as a noble habit in every household in the UAE by encouraging the establishment of home libraries and supplying these libraries with the best tiles across a broad section of genres suitable for all the family.

• Sharjah