Call for Submissions
Qatar Foundation International, LLC (“QFI”) invites students to showcase their creativity and Arabic language skills by taking part in the 2026 Arabic Short Story Contest. Students will author a short story in Arabic in response to the prompt listed below. The prompt is intentionally open-ended to give students creative freedom and accommodate different language levels. Winners will be selected based on their language level and language background. Arabic students from countries with QFI operations (see Eligibility) are invited to participate.
Read the full Short Story Contest Guidelines, including the prompt, eligibility, criteria, and terms here.
Entry Forms
- Student Entry Form: US Letter | A4
- Contest Consent Form: Online submission (preferred) | Printable US Letter | Printable A4
How to Enter
Teachers should submit students’ stories on their behalf through SM Apply. All entries must go through a teacher, tutor, or administrator; no student should submit their own entry.
- Fully read the Contest Guidelines.
- Log in or create an account through SM Apply and click "apply".
- Name your application with the name of the student.
- Fill out the "School Profile" section with your contact information.
- Complete the student entry form. There are two choices to complete this section:
- Fill out the form through SM Apply (like you would a Google Form). Only the coordinating teacher can fill out this form.
- Fill out the Student Entry Form (linked above). Either the student or the teacher can fill out the PDF version. It can be filled out digitally or printed and scanned. If you fill out this PDF digitally, please ensure that you save a copy of the completed PDF and then upload it.
- Upload a PDF of the student's story.
- Submit the application.
- If you are submitting applications for multiple students, start a new application for each student. To begin a new application, select "Programs" from the top menu bar. Then, scroll down to the "Short Story Contest" tile and select "more". You will have the option to see your existing applications or create a new one by choosing "apply". Follow the same submission process for all applications. The "School Profile" section should remember your responses, so you only have to fill that out once.
The deadline for submissions is April 29, 2026.
Resources
- The Arabic GCSE: A Guide to the Writing Component (QFI Blog, Fauzia Saeed)
- Hear from last year’s winners: Ikram, Eythar, and Najib
Please contact Abby at contests@qfi.org with any questions.
Short Story Contest 2026
Call for Submissions
Qatar Foundation International, LLC (“QFI”) invites students to showcase their creativity and Arabic language skills by taking part in the 2026 Arabic Short Story Contest. Students will author a short story in Arabic in response to the prompt listed below. The prompt is intentionally open-ended to give students creative freedom and accommodate different language levels. Winners will be selected based on their language level and language background. Arabic students from countries with QFI operations (see Eligibility) are invited to participate.
Read the full Short Story Contest Guidelines, including the prompt, eligibility, criteria, and terms here.
Entry Forms
- Student Entry Form: US Letter | A4
- Contest Consent Form: Online submission (preferred) | Printable US Letter | Printable A4
How to Enter
Teachers should submit students’ stories on their behalf through SM Apply. All entries must go through a teacher, tutor, or administrator; no student should submit their own entry.
- Fully read the Contest Guidelines.
- Log in or create an account through SM Apply and click "apply".
- Name your application with the name of the student.
- Fill out the "School Profile" section with your contact information.
- Complete the student entry form. There are two choices to complete this section:
- Fill out the form through SM Apply (like you would a Google Form). Only the coordinating teacher can fill out this form.
- Fill out the Student Entry Form (linked above). Either the student or the teacher can fill out the PDF version. It can be filled out digitally or printed and scanned. If you fill out this PDF digitally, please ensure that you save a copy of the completed PDF and then upload it.
- Upload a PDF of the student's story.
- Submit the application.
- If you are submitting applications for multiple students, start a new application for each student. To begin a new application, select "Programs" from the top menu bar. Then, scroll down to the "Short Story Contest" tile and select "more". You will have the option to see your existing applications or create a new one by choosing "apply". Follow the same submission process for all applications. The "School Profile" section should remember your responses, so you only have to fill that out once.
The deadline for submissions is April 29, 2026.
Resources
- The Arabic GCSE: A Guide to the Writing Component (QFI Blog, Fauzia Saeed)
- Hear from last year’s winners: Ikram, Eythar, and Najib
Please contact Abby at contests@qfi.org with any questions.