Million's Poet: The Abu Dhabi competition with Dh15 million at stake

The National

04-05-2025

Registrations are now open for the 12th season of Million's Poet, the long-running Arabic competition and television show to promote nabati or Emirati vernacular poetry. Organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, the competition has nurtured hundreds of talents since its beginning in 2006, many of whom have become leading figures in the region's poetry scene. The competition's success, with about 17 million TV viewership on Abu Dhabi TV, has even spurred the creation of a dedicated magazine and TV channel for re-runs. It even led the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation to establish the UAE's first nabati poetry academy to embrace the revival of the historic art. Besides overnight fame, Million's Poet offers substantial cash prizes to its finalists totalling Dh15 million, with the main winner of the Poetry Banner or Bayraq Al-Shi'r walking home with Dh5 million. The word "nabati" is used to denote the poetry circulating among the population of the Arabian peninsula in general, unlike the poetry written according to the rules of literary Arabic, for which the Quran is the supreme example. Nabati is a vital component of Emirati literary heritage, and dates back to at least the 14th century. It originated among the Bedouin of the Arabian Peninsula and was first referenced by Islamic scholar Ibn Khaldun in his 1377 work Al Muqaddimah. The competition is open all male and female poets aged between 18 and 45 years. To be eligible, all poets must submit a classical nabati poem with metered verse and rhyme, consisting of no fewer than 10 lines and no more than 18 lines. Submissions must be typed and no handwritten poems will be accepted. Once the registration period concludes, a jury will review and evaluate the submissions, following which shortlisted poets will be invited for in-person interviews. From there, a total of 48 poets will then be selected for the televised round, which will be filmed at Al Raha Beach Theatre in Abu Dhabi. The deadline for submissions is May 15 and can be done through the official website, www.millionspoet.ae