Sharjah Ladies Club (SLC) has announced that it has received a total of 292 entries from 27 nationalities for its ‘Noon Arts’ Award. Its theme translating as ‘Huwiyyati - My Identity,’ the Award supports talented creative artists in the field of painting and photography, with the best designs taking a share of AED 35,000 prize money and being displayed in SLC’s Noon Gallery.

Launched to celebrate individual identity and to honour female artists, the Huwiyyati Award is in line with SLC’s commitment to support the field of conceptual arts and enhancing cultural growth across the UAE, with a particular focus on Sharjah. The award is a first-of-its-kind initiative from the organisation that provides a premium leisure and recreation platform for young girls and women in the UAE.

“To say that we were happy with the number of entries we received for the Huwiyyati Award would be something of an understatement. It was a great response, with 292 submissions across the three categories. The competition is a fantastic initiative from SLC’s Collage Talent Center, which is the club’s hub for education in the arts and aims to develop artistic skills across the spectrum of creative fields,” said Shaikha Alsuwaidi, Manager of Collage Talent Center. 

‘Painting’ and ‘Photography’ are the two key categories in the Huwiyyati Award, with each featuring two subcategories; the ‘Noon Artist Award – Painting’ and the ‘Noon Artist Award – Photography.’ Each one has been designed for established artists and offers a prize money worth AED 10,000 each, with the qualifying age group being 25-40 years. Fifty-four entries were received for the Noon Artist Award – Painting, while 17 were received for the Noon Artist Award – Photography.  

The second subcategories, the ‘Noon Rising Star Award – Painting’ and the ‘Noon Rising Star Award – Photography’ are valued at AED 5,000 each and are designed to recognise fresh talents in painting and photography for female artists aged 18-24 years old. In addition, thirty participants registered for the Noon Rising Star Award – Painting while 18 applied for the Noon Rising Star Award – Photography.

Acknowledging artistic endeavours outside the confines of painting and photography, a newly introduced third category in the Huwiyyati Award was titled ‘Various Art Styles’ and allowed for creations that included disciplines such as crochet. Open to those aged 7 years of age and over, the category attracted 15 entries, with winners receiving prize money of (AED 5,000).

“The number and provenance of entries received for the Huwiyyati Award proves that creativity is alive and well in women of all ages and all nationalities. We were especially pleased that so many entries were received from women outside the UAE – almost one in ten, in fact. It shows the artistic influence of Sharjah Ladies Club and its Collage Talent Center is one that reaches across borders,” added Alsuwaidi.  

The criteria for participation in the Huwiyyati Award - the deadline of which was September 10 - was that the artwork needed to be created by the artist herself and not co-created or plagiarised. Participants were allowed to submit one entry per category in which the artwork has never previously won an award. The judging of the categories took place on September 26, as 167 participants were excluded that didn’t meet the settled criteria, the winning artworks being placed on display at SLC’s Noon Gallery from October 25-30 as the timings will be from 9:00 am till 8:00 pm during the weekdays except Friday from 3:00 pm till 9:00 pm.

Since its inception in 1982, SLC – a subsidiary of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs – has organised events that relate to society, art, health and charity. Its activities and events include bazaars, exhibitions, sports competitions, professional development seminars, creative workshop and educational forums. The club is dedicated to supporting and empowering women in all aspects of their lives, providing a relaxing and nurturing environment where they can learn, enjoy sports and cultivate their favourite hobbies using state-of-the-art facilities.