Muscat: The Child Culture Award is one of the first programs established by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth to promote youngsters and adolescents' literary and intellectual expression while strengthening their links to Oman's national identity and cultural history.
The award encourages children to express themselves creatively while also engaging with ideas of identity and community.
Ahmed Nasser Al Rashdi, director of the Child Culture Department at the Directorate General of Knowledge and Cultural Development, said that the ministry launched the Child Culture Award in 2021 in two categories: "Speak So I Can See You" and "Oman Narrates".
The program seeks to raise children's cultural awareness, cultivate patriotism and national pride, and improve their expressive and creative abilities. The prize is based on three unique themes each year.
Al Rashdi stated that the contest aims at both youngsters and specialists in child culture. The first category, "Speak So I Can See You," is open to Omani and resident youngsters aged 7 to 12 who want to discover talented young speakers who can skillfully represent Oman in the media and at public events.
The second, "Oman Narrates," encourages Omani and Arab writers based in Oman to create children's literature that emphasizes the country's cultural legacy for a worldwide audience.
This year's "Speak So I Can See You" competition received 523 entries in its preliminary stage—a 133-participant increase over the previous edition—owing to awareness workshops conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Education's Career Guidance Centre, which included 70 supervisors and teachers throughout the country.
Participants created movies on topics such as designing a household robot, representing Oman abroad, and suggesting a tourism project that reflects Omani culture.
Meanwhile, "Oman Narrates" got 124 submissions, an increase of 84 over last year. To introduce Arab children to Oman's intangible culture, authors produced tales based on Omani seasonal traditions such as Eid, Khareef, rose and pomegranate harvests, and community celebrations, using compelling visual storytelling.
Notably, the 2025 edition was the first to include youngsters with impairments, including seven blind and two physically challenged participants.
Al-Rashdi emphasized the prize's importance in finding new literary talents, particularly among instructors who have a strong awareness of children's thinking.
The ministry has produced five books on Omani culture for children, which contain winning entries from previous contests. In the 2025 finals, five youngsters, including two visually impaired competitors, advanced after direct interviews conducted on July 68.
The five winning texts, which are unranked, will be edited and released in "Oman Narrates – Part 4. " Five nationalities were represented by Arab authors living in Oman: Egypt (5), Yemen (3), Lebanon (1), and Tunisia (1).
All "Speak So I Can See You" entries this year focused on "Representing Omani Etiquette in International Forums. "
