The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission on Friday evening concluded the fifth edition of the Literary Partner Initiative for 2025–2026 during a closing ceremony held at the King Fahad Cultural Center in Riyadh.
The event was attended by the commission’s CEO Dr. Abdullatif Al-Wasel and CEO of the Quality of Life Program Khalid Al-Baker, along with a distinguished group of writers, intellectuals, initiative partners, and representatives of cultural and media organizations.
Al-Wasel said the Literary Partner Initiative has established a national model for cultural partnership between the private and nonprofit sectors, helping expand community participation and strengthen the presence of literature across the Kingdom in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
He noted that the initiative’s fifth edition brought together 220 literary partners across 57 cities throughout the Kingdom. They implemented 11,677 literary initiatives with the participation of 9,240 speakers. The number of first-time speakers increased by 68% compared with the previous edition, while the initiative reached more than one million beneficiaries, reflecting its growing impact and reinforcing its position as a national platform for supporting literary and cultural activities and empowering creative talent.
The ceremony also honored winners across the initiative’s five tracks, covering cafés, cultural clubs, associations, publishers, and shared creative spaces in their various categories, in recognition of their outstanding literary initiatives and contributions to expanding cultural participation and broadening public access to literature. Total prize awards exceeded SAR1 million.
The ceremony concluded by recognizing distinguished partners and showcasing the initiative’s most notable achievements and inspiring success stories from its fifth edition, reaffirming its role in strengthening integration between the cultural sector and the private and nonprofit sectors, while fostering a sustainable literary culture that contributes to community development and enriches Saudi Arabia’s cultural landscape.
Source: Riyadh Daily