Riyadh, October 7, 2025 — The Theatre and Performing Arts Authority celebrated the winners of its "Playwriting" competition on Tuesday evening, at a ceremony held on the stage of the Riyadh International Book Fair 2025, attended by a host of writers, creatives and pioneers of the Saudi theatre scene.

During the ceremony, the Authority honored the winning scripts across the competition's various tracks, along with the judging panels, in recognition of their role in supporting and developing the local theatre scene and reinforcing playwriting's place as one of the key pillars of performing arts in the Kingdom.

The competition results were as follows:

  • General Track: 1st place — "Queen of the Sun" by Mohammed Abdullah Al-Muzaini; 2nd place — "Do I Suffer, Therefore I Am?" by Asia Mishal Al-Harbi; 3rd place — "The Cartoon" by Mohammed Fahd Al-Huwaimil.
  • Children's Track: 1st place — "A Melody Between Her Fingers" by Ali Abdulhadi Hammadah; 2nd place — "The Day the Ashes Prevailed" by Nasser Abdullah Al-Kanhal; 3rd place — "Ghosts of Asaad" by Basem Saeed Bazroun.
  • History and Heritage Track: 1st place — "Path of Eternity" by Abdullah Hamid Al-Zamai; 2nd place — "Shadow of the Mountain" by Sawsan Abdullah Al-Suwaidi; 3rd place — "A Fading Trace" by Abdulaziz Nasser Al Awdah.

At the ceremony, the Authority also unveiled a new anthology titled "Plays From Saudi Arabia," bringing together the winning scripts from the competition's previous two editions, with the aim of documenting the national theatrical experience and enriching the Saudi cultural library with contemporary creative texts that reflect reality while drawing on heritage.

The Authority said in its remarks that the competition serves as a platform for discovering new theatrical talent and encouraging writers to develop original scripts that reflect the values of Saudi society and contribute to building distinctive theatrical content, noting that "creativity is not measured by an award, but by sustained output and artistic growth."

The "Playwriting" competition is one of several notable initiatives launched by the Theatre and Performing Arts Authority as part of its programs to stimulate creative activity in scriptwriting across three main tracks: history and heritage, children's theatre, and the general track.

Through the competition, the Authority aims to discover and support playwrights, build a strong library of Saudi scripts, create an up-to-date database of authors and texts, and turn national stories and heritage into contemporary theatrical works that strengthen Saudi cultural identity and enrich the Kingdom's artistic scene.