Doha, March 25 (QNA) - The Katara Cultural Village Foundation has announced a record 2,610 entries for the 12th edition of its Katara Prize for Arabic Novel, the highest since the prize was launched in 2014.

This surpasses the previous record of 2,021 entries in 2021. Of the total, 1,488 were unpublished novels, 578 were published works from 2025, 303 entries were unpublished children's novels, 107 were unpublished studies on novels,11 were published Qatari novels, and 123 were unpublished historical novels.

Egypt and Sudan led submissions with 963 entries, followed by the Levant and Iraq with 719, the Maghreb with 666, and Gulf countries with 245 entries. Non-Arab countries contributed 17 submissions.

Katara Director-General Dr Khalid Al Sulaiti said the increase reflects the prize's growing reputation as it enters its second decade. The award spans six categories and includes translations of winning novels into English and French, helping it gain recognition regionally and internationally.

The prize pool totals $375,000, with top awards of $30,000 per winner across categories including published and unpublished novels, historical novels, children's novels, Qatari novels, and studies on novel criticism. (QNA)