The UAE Writers Union

Sharjah

The UAE Writers Union was established in May 28, 1984 in Sharjah by the Ministerial Decree No. 137 of 1984 issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The Union was founded by 30 active members.

Old Union documents, showed that before the first general assembly, there were several informal meetings, were members voiced their interests and desire to establish federal entity or all Emirati and Arab Writers, in order to rise up with the quality of literature, culture and create communication channels between Arab writers, where they can voice their concerns regarding national aspirations and nationalism.

The union has 108 active members and 108 affiliates. The affiliates are from Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait and Iraq.

The Union has two cultural awards, Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Award and Ghanem Ghebash Award. The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Award, which was established in December 17, 1987, honours the works and efforts of Arab intellectuals and scientists and encourage them to move forward for the advancement of the Arab nation.

The Shanem Al Ghebash award for short stories launched its fourteenth edition in collaboration with The UAE Writer’s Union in 2009. The award is only open to UAE locals and residence. Winners get monetary prizes between 15,000-3,000.