Mohammed Hassan Faqi Award

The Mohammed Hassan Faqi Award is an annual award dedicated to poets and critics across the Arab world. It was launched by the Yamani Cultural Foundation in 1994 in Egypt and is named in honor of poet Mohammed Hassan Faqi as a tribute and recognition. The award is granted based on specific criteria and regulations and is regarded as one of the most motivational appreciation awards presented to poets and writers in the Arab world.

The Mohammed Hassan Faqi Award is granted to a poet and critic, or two poets and critics jointly, after meeting its criteria and passing the nomination, selection, and judging stages. A sum of USD20,000 (SAR75,000) is allocated to each award category. During the award ceremony, a celebration is held at the Cairo Opera House, bringing together poets, writers, and thinkers from Arab countries to participate in a scientific seminar on literary issues, lasting two or three days. Several working papers are presented, discussed, and later compiled into a book distributed to attendees.

Each seminar at the event focuses on a specific theme for several critics to write about. One of the topics discussed in the 1996 ceremony was 'Faqi as a Poet,' which aimed to introduce Mohammed Hassan Faqi, highlight his status as a poet, and discuss the artistic and semantic aspects of his works. Among the participants in this seminar were Mohamed Zaki al-Ashmawi, Hassan al-Huwail, and Yusuf Nawfal.

Since its inception, several poets and critics have won the Mohammed Hassan Faqi Award, including Farouk Shousha, Khalid Mohiedin al-Barad'y, Abdulatif Abdelhalim, Ahmed Darwish, Fatima Tahtah, Mohamed Ibrahim Abu Senaa, Alawi al-Hashimi, Ibrahim Abdulrahman Mohamed, Saad Dabees, Jalal Aabdin, Abdulaziz Hamouda, Hassan bin Fahd al-Huwaiml, Adnan Qassim, Mohamed Abdelmotalib, Mohamed Mustafa Haddara, Abdo Badawi, Abdullah al-Fifi, Walid Mashawwah, Ismail al-Sayfi, and Hassan Abdullah al-Qurashi.

Mohammed Hassan Faqi was a Saudi poet born in Makkah al-Mukarramah. He began his teaching career early and held various positions throughout his life. He was the first general director of al-Bilad Foundation, editor-in-chief of 'Sawt al-Hejaz' Newspaper, worked as an editor at the Ministry of Finance and National Economy, and served as an inspector general. He also headed the editorial office, headed the General Imports Department, and established the General Auditing Bureau by order of King Faisal. Additionally, he served as an advisor to al-Majalla al-Arabiya Magazine.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia honored Faqi at the National Festival for Heritage and Culture, and he was recognized by the Jeddah Literary Cultural Club. In 1994, he was awarded 'The Makki Poet' prize. Known for his prolific literary output, his collected works of poetry were published in ten volumes. Among his works are Majmouaat ar-Rubaeyyat (Collection of Quartets), Diwan Qadar wa Rajul (The Book of Fate and Man), Natharat wa Afkar fi al-Mojtamaa wal-Hayat (Observations and Thoughts on Society and Life), al-Falak Yadour (The Cosmos Turns), and Hathihi hia Misr (This is Egypt).