Winners of Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts, Literature honoured

Muscat: Assigned by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Salmi, Minister of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, handed over at Al Wahat Club this evening the awards to winners of the 7th edition of the Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature (SQACAL), allocated for Omanis.
The award in the field of intangible cultural heritage studies (Culture Branch) was won by the study titled "Tongues of the Omani Najmis" by the researcher Hamad bin Abdullah Al Skaiti.
In the field of short films (Arts Branch), the award went to the film titled "Black Doesn’t Suit you" by the director Essa bin Salim Al Subhi.
In the field of traditional poetry for literature branch (Art), the award was withheld this year as none of the works presented met the requirements.
The Minister of Awqaf and Religious Affairs announced the fields of the 8th edition of the award 2019, which will be allocated to the Arabs.
He said that the fields will be Sociology Studies (Culture Branch), the Arabic Shadoo (Camel Songs) in the Art Branch and the Travel Literature in the literature branch.
The ceremony was attended by ministers, undersecretaries, specialists in culture and media from inside and outside the Sultanate, media professionals, intellectuals, writers, literati, artists and Arab cultural awards' representatives.
The award stems from the Royal attention of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said towards intellectual and cognitive accomplishment, confirming the historical role of the Sultanate of Oman in the consolidation of cultural awareness; as the most important link in the progress of civilisation of mankind.
It also comes from the support of His Majesty the Sultan for outstanding intellectuals, artists and writers.
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said issued Royal Decree No. (18/2011) to establish the Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature.