Judging is underway to choose the winners of the 6th edition of the ‘Creative Reader Competition’, organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).
This year’s edition saw the participation of more than 500 male and female students, including people of determination, from the government and private schools of Abu Dhabi and the Al Ain and Al Dhafra regions. Participants applied by filling the forms provided in Arabic and English at all Maktaba library branches in the Emirate.
The assessment process involved personal interviews to evaluate participants in how fast they read books, the number of books they borrowed from Dar Al Kutub branches compared to ones read outside these branches, level of comprehension of the finished titles through questions to measure understanding. They were also assessed on their ability to speak Arabic well, use of language skills, and understanding of connotations and denotations, as well as creative thinking, for example the ability to critique the completed texts.
The Judges’ Panel featured a group of writers, educators and librarians from the schools in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra. The Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police and the National Archives contributed by organising interactive activities for participating students, while Khalifa Park Library hosted story-reading activities and a fun day for students and parents at the Park.
The Creative Reader Competition is a qualitative initiative that targets C1 and C2 students from public and private schools. Designed to promote comprehensive community development, the competition aims to encourage students to read and visit public libraries, foster cultural creative talents, and highlight the imperative role of the Arabic language as an intellectual and cultural incubator. It also aims to promote reading in English and creativity in reading, and further efforts to develop children’s literature, enrich the literary scene with new publications and spread cultural and societal values among community members.
The winners of the competition will be announced on 4 March, 2019 in a ceremony at Manarat Al Saadiyat.
