Dubai: The winners of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature’s competitions for schools were recently honoured at several awards ceremonies at the Mohammad Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU).
The competitions — the Oxford University Press (OUP) Story Writing Competition, The Chevron Readers’ Cup and the Montegrappa Letter Writing Competition — allowed young people to show off their skills in story writing and letter composition.
Ahlam Bolooki, festival director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, said: “Schoolchildren have faced so many uncertainties this year, and I know the return of these competitions has been a welcome boost to morale. The competitions have become an annual highlight in the school calendar.”
She added: “As always, they have been very popular, with the OUP Arabic Writing Competition seeing a 25 per cent increase in the number of entries, participation in the Chevron Readers Cup remaining strong, and many beautiful handwritten letters received for our new Montegrappa Letter Writing Competition.”
Chevron Readers’ Cup
The Chevron Readers’ Cup gives teams of readers the chance to compete against other schools in a series of heats. Teams with the best recall and understanding of the books go through to the final round. For the first time ever, the challenge was conducted virtually, with students taking part in the qualifying rounds and finals in two age groups, primary and secondary, held in Arabic and English.
The competitions were open to full-time students in the GCC (UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait). Teams answered questions on a selection of books provided by the Emirates Literature Foundation team and the winners were awarded trophies, medals, certificates, and book vouchers.
Renu Sharma, General Manager and Country Chairperson — Middle East Aviation and Joint Ventures at Chevron said: “Though we had to do things a little differently this year by staging a virtual contest, it certainly did not dampen the enthusiasm of the students, and it was wonderful as ever to see the enjoyment they get from taking part.”
OUP competition
The Festival’s student writing competition — the Oxford University Press Story Writing Competition — received 3,000 entries in total, including more than 1,000 in Arabic. The competition is divided into age-specific categories: 11 and under, 12-14, 15-17 and 18-25. Each winner received a book containing the original winning short stories, a book on Creative Writing published by OUP, and a winner’s plaque. This year’s theme was ‘Change the Story’.
Jennifer Duggan from OUP said: “This was a brilliant theme for the competition with many of the entries reflecting the trials and tribulations of the last year. I hope it will encourage them to write for pleasure right throughout their lives.”
Montegrappa Letter Writing Competition
This brand-new competition celebrated the craft of letter writing with Montegrappa, Italy’s oldest manufacturer of handcrafted writing instruments. Open to all ages from nine years upwards, primary and secondary pupils were asked to write a letter, in their best handwriting, to one of their favourite characters from a book.
The winners each received a Montegrappa fountain pen from the Ambiente collection, made with a special resin created from plastics recycled from the oceans. Runners up received a limited edition Montegrappa LitFest 2021 pen, which was created exclusively for all authors participating in the festival.
Charles Nahhas, the Middle East distributor of Montegrappa, said: “It was a pleasure to see the penmanship and creativity in the entries. We really appreciated the care that had been taken in writing the letters. The competition has sparked imaginations, providing some very amusing entries, addressed to a whole cast of literary characters.”
Winners:
Chevron Readers’ Cup English Winners
Primary Age Group
1. Gems UIS Jovial Juniors, Gems United Indian School AD
2. The Bookaholics, Sabari Indian School
3. The Bibliophiles, Our Own English High School
Secondary Age Group
1. Year 10 Superstars, Gems Metropole School
2. Reading Warriors, Delta English School
3. TMS — TEAM — S2, The Millennium School
Arabic Winners
Primary Age Group
1. Al Qalam, Emirates National Schools Al Ain
2. Nojoom Ka’as Al Qurraa’, Dar Al Uloom Private School Falaj Hazaa Al Ain
3. Mobdeaat Jumeirah, Jumeirah Basic Education School
Secondary Age Group
1. Alsawsanah Alsawdaa’, Al Hikmah Private School AlNuaimiah
2. Rowwad Al Qiraa’a, Dar Al Uloom Private School Falaj Hazaa Al Ain
3. Shabaab Al Mostaqbal, Future International Private School
OUP winners — English:
11 and under:
1. Aarav Saini — Gems Wellington Primary School
2. Siya Anand Nayar — Gems Cambridge International School
3. Shay Radia — Formarke School
12- 14
1. Charles Samuel Vitug — Diyafah International School
2. Mahnoor Umar Pirzada — International School of Creative Science
3. Nuha Kaz — Al Diyafah School
15-17
1. Anyka Chakravarty — Wellington International School
2. Sophia Ouchari — Gems International School, Al Khail
3. Salwa Khan — Arab Unity School
18-25
1. Aysha Almaskari — ADNOC Schools, Sas Al Nakhl
2. Aswathy Dinesh — Unique World Education
3. Fathima Afrin Anosh — Amity University Dubai
OUP winners — Arabic:
11 and under:
1. Yassin Askar — Gems Wellington Academy Silicon Oasis
2. Fahad Talal Al Jzairi — Dubai National School Al Twar
3. Omar Saad Al Yaakeeb — Al Qaryah Basic Education School, Cycle 1
12-14
1. Haya Mahmood Al Lababeedi — Dubai National School Al Twar
2. Roaa Saeed Mansoor — Liwa International School
3. Meera Ahmad Almheiri — Dubai National School Al Twar
15-17
1. Arwa Awad Ali Al Nuaimi — Applied Technology High School, Baniyas AD
2. Aisha Ali Khamis Al Safdani — Applied Technology High School, Falaj Almulla, UAQ
3. Shahd Fadil Rashid Al Mazrooei — Applied Technology High School (Girls), AD
18-25
1. Mohammad Abdulhakim Al Anis — Al Wasl University
2. Bashayer Yousif Alkhayyat Al Ali — Khalifa University, RAK
3. Mezna Abudulaziz Aljeraishi — Higher Colleges of Technology
Montegrappa Winners — English:
Primary: Ages 9—13
1. Mir Faraz, The Winchester School — “A Different Perspective”
2. Farida Hassan, Regent International School — “Dear Elizabeth”
3. Seher Pahade, Ambassador School — “You Inspire Me!”
Secondary: Ages 14-18
1. Maansi Sharma, Asian International Private School — “On The Other Side”
2. Aarushi Dahiya, Jumeirah English Speaking School — “Application to be a Death Eater”
3. Rushmeen Anwar, The Oxford School — “Letter to Lennie Small”
Montegrappa Winners — Arabic:
Primary: Ages 9—13
1. Abdullah Sheikh, Cambridge International School — “My Three Wishes”
2. Sara Zaid Qasim, Mawakeb Private School Al Barsha — “Letter to Linda”
3. Jenin Mohammad Abu Obaid, Emirates National Schools Al Ain — “To Mr. Khaldoon”
Secondary: Ages 14-18
1. Shatha Farsi, Emirates National Schools Sharjah — “To the Loving Yasmine”
2. Lara Zaid Qasim, Mawakeb Private School Al Barsha — “To Dear Nadia”
3. Shamma Sultan Al Suwaidi, Emirates National Schools Sharjah — “To the Brave and Adventurous Mohammad”
