Algerian Radio
The National Company for Communication, Publishing, and Advertising (ANEP) announced the opening of candidacies for the eighth edition of the Assia Djebar Grand Prize for the Novel for the year 2026, until next April 18, according to a statement from the institution.
The prize concerns novels written in Arabic, Tamazight, and French, which were published by Algerian publishing houses in the period between April 14, 2024, and April 18, 2026, the statement explains, emphasizing that the nominated works must be original in their content, distinguished in their vision, and have not previously won other awards.
The institution invites publishing houses wishing to participate to deposit 12 copies of each nominated work and an electronic copy at the institution's headquarters located at: 50, Rue Khelifa Boukhalfa, B.P. 355, Algiers.
It also invited those wishing to apply for this new edition of the prize to view more details via the website: www.prixassiadjebar.dz.
The jury for this edition consists of ten members, including the translator and poet Hakim Miloud (President), the sociology professor Mustapha Madi, the specialist in popular literature Hamid Bouhabib, the writer Maïssa Bey, the President of the Algerian Academy of the Arabic Language, Cherif Meribai, the writer Meriem Guemache, the novelist Leïla Hamoutene, the poet Ahcene Mariche, the researcher in the Amazigh language Ksila Alik, and the poet and translator Idir Bellali.
The seventh edition of the prize saw the crowning of Inaam Bayoud in the Arabic language for her work "Houaria" (Dar Mim), El Hachemi Kerache in the Tamazight language for his novel "1954, Tilali Assirem" (Dar Tira), while the prize for the French language went to the novel "Lune émiettée" (Casbah Editions) by the writer Abdelaziz Othmani.
The Assia Djebar Grand Prize for the Novel, established in 2015 and bearing the name of the Algerian writer and academic Assia Djebar (1936-2015), rewards the best novelistic work written in Arabic, Tamazight, and French. It serves as a tribute to the richness and diversity of Algerian literature, aiming to promote Algerian literary creativity and make it known at the local and international levels.
