WAM
10 Jun 2026

ABU DHABI, 10th June, 2026 (WAM) -- The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has announced the shortlists for the 2026 edition of its Research Grants Programme, featuring 20 research projects selected from 43 longlisted entries following a rigorous evaluation process governed by scientific and competitive standards.

This year's edition has seen broad participation, with 623 applicants from 34 Arab and non-Arab countries. These figures reflect the growing interest in scholarly research in fields related to the Arabic language and reinforce the programme's standing as a leading initiative supporting specialised scientific research in the region and beyond.

In accordance with ALC Chairman's Decision No. (3) of 2026, a specialised Scientific Committee was formed, bringing together distinguished academics and experts in Arabic language and humanities to oversee the selection of the long and shortlists.

The committee applied a rigorous review process to evaluate the submitted projects against key criteria, namely the originality of the topic, quality of research methodology, knowledge contribution and relevance to Arabic language research priorities.

Shortlisted projects spanned a range of disciplines, including Literature and Criticism, Applied and Computational Linguistics, Arabic Dictionary, Manuscript Editing, Curriculum Development, and Teaching Arabic to Non-Arabic Speakers.

In the Literature and Criticism category, the shortlist included: 'The Poetry of the People of the Book in Early Islam and the Umayyad Era' by Hiba Abdul Wahab Akil from Syria; 'Literature and Lying: A Semiotic Study' by Salma Aati from Tunisia; 'Drawing Inspiration from Global Cultures and Their Representations in the Poetry of Arab Immigrants (1900-1950): The Poetry of Syrian, Lebanese, and Egyptian Immigrants to the USA as a Model' by Rateb Tamer Sokker from Syria; and 'Crafts and Letters: The Impact of Shadow Masters in Shaping Heritage Discourse' by Said Laouadi from Morocco.

The list also included 'The Figure of Christ and the Formation of the Symbolic Vision in Modern Arabic Poetry' by Yousef Hamdan from Jordan; 'The Discourse of Virility in Arab Critical Heritage: A Cultural-Psychological Approach to the Tale of Umm Jundub' by Abderrahmane Guider from Morocco; 'French Orientalism and Arabic Literature: History, Trajectories, and Outcomes' by Mohamed Sahbi Alllani from Tunisia; 'The Poem as a Pretext: The Plagiarism of 'The people were unjust to Dabbah' (Ma Ansafa Al Qawm Dabba) and the Making of the Narrative of Al-Mutanabbi's Murder' by Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Tawwab Abdel Azim from Egypt; and 'New Narrative Formations in Young Adult Fiction from a Postmodern Critical Perspective' by Ibrahim Ahmed Metwally Ardash from Egypt.

Shortlisted works also included 'Arabic in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Identity, Authority, and the Future of the Language' by Farouk Ghanem Khaddaj from Lebanon; 'The Rhetoric of Silence in Arabic Narrative' by Asmaa Abdelgawad Yassen from Egypt; and 'Echoes of India: Manifestations of Indian Heritage in Arabic Literature and Culture' by Qais Suleiman Faleh Qudah from Jordan.

As for the Arabic Dictionary category, the shortlist included 'Palm Tree Vocabulary in UAE Dialects: A Linguistic Study' by Ahmed Mohamed Obaid from the UAE; 'Keys to Heritage: A Lexicon of Pre-Islamic Society and Folk Culture' by Mohammed Obaidallah from Jordan; and 'The Etymological Dictionary of Historical Site Names in the United Arab Emirates: A Historical and Linguistic Study in Etymology' by Ahmad Ibeche from Syria.

The shortlist for the Manuscript Editing category featured 'Unwan Al-Hikma wal-Bayan by Sheikh Abu Al-Qasim Al-Muhassin bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Amr Al-Tanukhi (d. 349 AH = 960 AD - 419 AH = 1028 AD): Editing and Study' by Mohamed Fathi Elaasar from Egypt; 'Treasures and Masterpieces in Crafts and Trades: Editing and Study in the Culture of Craft Guilds and Social Discourse in Ottoman Egypt and the Levant' by Mohameden Ahmedou from Mauritania; and 'Kitab Aswaq Al-Ashwaq min Masari' Al-Ushaq by Burhan al-Din al-Biqa'i' by Khaled Abdul Raouf Othman Al Jabr from Jordan.

In the Teaching Arabic to Non-Arabic Speakers category, the shortlist featured 'Inherited Language and Acquired Tongue: Towards Building Linguistic Competence for the inheritors of Arabic' by Nizar Qpilat and Loay Badran from Jordan.

The shortlist for the Curriculum Development category included 'The Image of Camels in Educational Curricula in the GCC Countries: A Comparative Study in Semiotic Transformations and a Historical Tracking of the Presentation, Approach, and Treatment Strategies in Arabic Language Textbooks' by Fawaz Saleh Al-Sulami from Saudi Arabia.

The shortlisted projects will now proceed to the final evaluation and judging stage, with grant recipients to be announced at a later date.