Hada News
Two Tunisian book prizes close on Thursday 31 December 2026: Mustapha Azzouz for youth fiction, Zoubeida Bchir for women authors
One prize rewards stories for 12-to-16-year-olds and writing by young people; the other, run by a state research centre, rewards books, research and screenplays by women published in 2026.
Two Tunisian book prizes close on Thursday 31 December 2026: the 18th Mustapha Azzouz Arab Prize for Children's Literature, run by the Children's Literature Forum with Arab Tunisian Bank, and CREDIF's Zoubeida Bchir National Prize for Women's Writing, which takes applications from 20 November 2026.
**1. Mustapha Azzouz Arab Prize for Children's Literature, 18th edition.** The Children's Literature Forum, with Arab Tunisian Bank as strategic partner, has opened entries for the 2027 edition, according to the Tunisian site Naouafedh. Writers from Tunisia and other Arab countries can take part, as can children and young people aged 9 to 18. - *Stories for young readers aged 12 to 16:* three cash prizes of 12,000, 8,000 and 5,000 Tunisian dinars. - *Texts written by children and young people:* three encouragement prizes of 1,000 dinars each. - *Deadline:* 31 December 2026. Winners receive their awards at a ceremony held alongside the forum's annual international symposium with the bank. - *How to enter:* one original, unpublished text in Modern Standard Arabic by a single author, with no adaptations or translations; five numbered copies plus Word and PDF files, without the author's name on the text, with an application letter and a short CV; sent to the prize at Arab Tunisian Bank, PO Box 196, El Menzah 6, 2091, Tunisia, or by email to [email protected] if post is not possible.
**2. Zoubeida Bchir National Prize for Women's Writing, 2026.** CREDIF, the women's research and documentation centre attached to Tunisia's Ministry of Family, Women, Children and Seniors, will take applications from 20 November to 31 December, Tunisie Numérique reports. Files lodged in the earlier window, 1 to 30 September, remain valid. - *Six prizes:* creative writing in Arabic and in French, 5,000 dinars each; scientific research in Arabic and in French, 7,000 dinars each; 10,000 dinars for research on Tunisian women or using a gender approach; 5,000 dinars for best screenplay. - *Eligibility:* one individual work, published in Tunisia or abroad during 2026, in Arabic or French; one category per candidate. School textbooks, children's books, works already awarded and academic publications prepared for promotion are excluded. Past winners must wait five years; two-time winners can no longer enter. - *Filing:* at CREDIF's registry office, with a letter to the director-general, four copies of the work, and copies of the publishing contract and the legal deposit.
**Why it matters:** Both prizes carry cash awards in dinars and close on the same date, but the Bchir window opens only on 20 November.