Poet of the Million Unveils Top 48 Finalists for Season 12

The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage will announce tomorrow the 48 poets who made it to the 12th season of "Poet of the Million," the Arab world's biggest Nabati poetry competition. The announcement happens at a ceremony on Al Rahba Beach Theater, marking the official start of a season that drew over 1,200 poems from 25 countries.

The competition has been running since 2006 and has become the main platform for celebrating Nabati poetry across the Arab world. This traditional form of poetry, rooted in Bedouin culture, continues to draw massive audiences and participants from far beyond the Gulf region.

This year's selection process was intense. Judges traveled from Riyadh to Kuwait, Amman, Muscat, and finally Abu Dhabi to meet 959 poets, including 20 female poets from 19 countries. The judging panel first narrowed the field to 100 poets from 13 countries, then put them through oral and written tests to reach the final 48.

Five episodes aired on Abu Dhabi and Baynounah channels, showing the judging rounds and the final selection process. The episodes gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how judges evaluate the poets' skills and creativity.

**The stakes are high.** The total prize pool exceeds 15 million UAE dirhams (about $4 million). The winner takes home 5 million dirhams, the coveted title of "Poet of the Million," and the poetry banner. Runners-up from second to sixth place also receive cash prizes.

But this isn't just about money. The program serves as a cultural preservation project, keeping alive a literary tradition that might otherwise fade in the modern world. Nabati poetry, with its distinct rhythm and colloquial Arabic, connects contemporary audiences to their cultural roots.

The competition's reach has grown significantly over its 12 seasons. What started as a regional contest now attracts poets from across the Middle East and beyond, turning it into a cultural bridge between different Arab communities.

For the 48 selected poets, tomorrow's announcement means months of live competition ahead. They'll perform on Al Rahba Beach Theater, where audiences and judges will gradually narrow the field until one poet claims the title and the life-changing prize money.