Abu Dhabi: A Saudi female poet has entered the semi-finals of Million's Poet TV competition.
She is the first woman poet reaching this stage in the Arab poetry competition this year, said a statement issued by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, the organiser of the competition.
Saudi poet Hisa Helal, also known as Remeya, has qualified on Wednesday in the competition broadcast live from Al Raha Beach Theater on Abu Dhabi TV.
Remeya who was competing with five men poets in the episode was given 48 points out of 50 by the jury.
One of the five poets will be qualified by public voting online and via SMS throughout the week. Poet with highest votes will make it to the semi-finals.
The second phase of the competition is a tough stage that examines the poetic skills of the 24 poets qualified from the total 48 poets participating in the fourth season of the competition.
Poets are required to deliver a free rhyme [poem] from 15 verses in the first part of the episode and in the second part they have to prove their poetic skills to build up a poem.
It should keep up with famous poems in rhyme and content in what is known in Arabic poetry as "Mujarah".
Remeya is one of four women poets participating in this season and made it to the second phase. She is the first woman to be qualified for the semifinals after the failure of two Jordanian women poets in the last two episodes.
Next Wednesday Saudi female poet Mastora Al Ahmadi will stand before the panel and audience to be tested for the semi-finals with other five poets.
The competition aims to preserve one of the ancient literature forms in Arabia which is part of authentic Bedouin heritage.
The show presents 48 poets, carefully selected by a panel of experts on Nabati poetry (dialect poetry), from thousands of applicants after a six-week tour of the Arabian Gulf countries with contestants from all over the Arab world.
The poets will battle it out, seeking to impress the jury and the audience with their poetic skills, in the hope of making it through to the grand final.
Contestants are judged using a mixture of jury votes, live audience votes via the in-theatre voting pods and SMS voting throughout the weeks.
The Millions’ Poet who wins first place will receive the grand prize of Dh5 million.
The winner of second place will be awarded Dh4 million. The third placer wins Dh3 million, while the fourth placer gets Dh2 million, and fifth placer wins Dh1 million.
About the TV competition
The competition organised and produced by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) is broadcast live every Wednesday at 10:30pm on Abu Dhabi TV from Al Raha Beach Theater in the capital.
