By Rafiq Vayani
DUBAI: This winners of First Chapter 2026, the ELF Seddiqi Writers’ Fellowship, were announced today at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
The fellowship pairs debut writers with internationally published authors and is open to writers working on their first novel in either Arabic or English. Ten winners were selected from 120 applicants, with the announcements made by five of the programme’s mentors who are participating in this year’s Emirates LitFest.
The authors mentoring the 2026 cohort are Ali Sparkes, Alwyn Hamilton, Annabel Kantaria, Greg Mosse, Iman Humaydan, Jalal Barjas, Leila Aboulela, Renée Ahdieh, Shahla al Ujaily and Sona Charaipotra
The winners are:
Ahmad Al Suh chosen by Jalal Barjas
Katherine Rich chosen by Ali Sparks
Hashem Al Sayed Ahmad chosen by Dr Shahla Al Ujaily
Jennah Fakhouri chosen by Sona Charaipotra
Kamand Koujouri chosen by Greg Mosse
Mehr Shafiei chosen by Renée Ahdieh
Nadine Bakhos chosen by Iman Humaydin
Raed Bou Ajram chosen Annabel Kantaria
Shahd Thani chosen by Leila Aboulela
Zainab Ahmed chosen by Alwyn Hamilton
As the only global-standard mentorship programme in the region for aspiring writers of fiction, acceptance on the programme could be the first step towards winning an international publishing deal.
The programme has been made possible thanks to the support of Seddiqi Holding, who originally agreed to sponsor the programme for five years. To date, four alumni have now secured publishing deals, with more in the pipeline.
“We are grateful to Seddiqi Holding for providing the visionary backbone of the fellowship and for partnering with us to help writers turn ambition into achievement. The programme is cultivating a strong cohort of UAE-based authors with global reach, and the results have been phenomenal,” said Ahlam Bolooki, CEO of the Emirates Literature Foundation and Festival Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. “Our writers benefit enormously from the generosity and expertise of the authors who mentor them or lead workshops to help refine their craft.”
The graduates of the programme who have won publishing deals include Sara Hamdan, who won a major two-book deal with US publisher Holt. Her novel, What Will People Think was published in May 2025. Saba Brelvi, from year two, will have her novel, The Squatters published by The Dial Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, this year. Ali Al Shaali and Alaa Maasarani have both had their books published in Arabic.
“Witnessing the growing appeal and success of the programme further reinforces the importance of the ELF Seddiqi Writers’ Fellowship. We at Seddiqi Holding are extremely proud of the previous cohorts and all that they have achieved, fuelled by the expertise of the Emirates Literature Foundation and mentors over the years. As we look ahead to the future of the programme, we remain committed to nurturing and supporting aspiring writers and pioneering new experiences that will continue to enrich their craft,” said Hind Abdul Hamied Seddiqi, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Seddiqi Holding.
In addition to six hours of one-to-one mentorship from their mentor, the fellows take part in a regular series of workshops led by resident mentor Annabel Kantaria, along with meetups and talks from authors and experts spanning the whole of the industry and encompassing all stages of writing, publishing and promoting a book. The programme also provides introductions to international agents, editors and publishers and access to short writing classes from international partner writing institutions. Each year the group undertakes a field trip, with previous groups visiting the Gotham Writers Centre in New York and the Faber Academy and Curtis Brown Creative in London to take classes and meet literary agents.
