Art and poetry have a long history of mutual inspiration; the Barjeel Poetry Prize aims to encourage fresh engagement with Arab paintings from the Barjeel collection, and to celebrate Arab art in its myriad forms by inviting poets to respond to it in two languages.
How to respond to the painting of your choice is open for interpretation. The relationship between poem and painting could be direct or tangential; you may choose to engage with the work, the painter’s story, or to address what the art evokes in you. The conversation the poem has with the painting can challenge and/or echo it.
The prize is open to all poets worldwide in six categories:
1) Arabic-language poem (adult), judged by poet Asmaa’ Azaizeh
2) Arabic-language poem (14-18), judged by poet Golan Haji
3) English-language poem by authors of Arab heritage (adult), judged by poet Hala Alyan
4) English-language poem by authors of Arab heritage (14-18), judged by poet Naomi Shihab Nye
5) English-language poem by authors internationally (adult), judged by poet Tishani Doshi
6) English-language poem by authors internationally (14-18), judged by poet Raymond Antrobus
Read more here
Credit – Barjeel Art Foundation website