News DeskDubai: The winners of the First Chapter 2026: the ELF Seddiqi Writers’ Fellowship were announced today at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, marking the selection of ten emerging writers for one of the region’s most prestigious mentorship programmes for debut novelists.
Chosen from a competitive pool of 120 applicants, the fellows will each be paired with an internationally published author for six hours of one-to-one mentorship. The fellowship is open to writers working on their first novel in either Arabic or English and is widely regarded as the only global-standard fiction mentorship programme of its kind in the region.
The announcements were made by five of the programme’s mentors participating in this year’s festival. The mentors for 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 2026 fellows are: Ahmad Al Suh (mentored by Jalal Barjas), Katherine Rich (Ali Sparkes), Hashem Al Sayed Ahmad (Dr Shahla al Ujaily), Jennah Fakhouri (Sona Charaipotra), Kamand Koujouri (Greg Mosse), Mehr Shafiei (Renée Ahdieh), Nadine Bakhos (Iman Humaydan), Raed Bou Ajram (Annabel Kantaria), Shahd Thani (Leila Aboulela) and Zainab Ahmed (Alwyn Hamilton).
Supported by Seddiqi Holding, which committed to sponsoring the programme for five years, the fellowship has already demonstrated tangible publishing success. To date, four alumni have secured publishing deals, with more currently in development.
“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,” said Ahlam Bolooki, CEO of the Emirates Literature Foundation and Festival Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. “The programme is cultivating a strong cohort of UAE-based authors with global reach, and the results have been phenomenal.”
Among the programme’s notable successes is Sara Hamdan, who secured a major two-book deal with US publisher Holt. Her debut novel, What Will People Think, was published in May 2025. Saba Brelvi, a fellow from the second cohort, is set to publish her novel The Squatters this year with The Dial Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Alumni Ali Al Shaali and Alaa Maasarani have also published novels in Arabic.
Hind Abdul Hamied Seddiqi, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Seddiqi Holding, said the programme’s growing impact underscores its importance. “We are extremely proud of the previous cohorts and all that they have achieved. As we look ahead, we remain committed to nurturing aspiring writers and pioneering new experiences that continue to enrich their craft.”
In addition to personalised mentorship, fellows participate in a structured programme of workshops led by resident mentor Annabel Kantaria, alongside industry talks, networking sessions and introductions to international agents, editors and publishers. The fellowship also includes access to short courses from international writing institutions and an annual overseas field trip. Previous cohorts have visited the Gotham Writers Centre in New York and the Faber Academy and Curtis Brown Creative in London.
For many participants, acceptance into the ELF Seddiqi Writers’ Fellowship represents a critical first step towards international publication — and a significant boost to the literary landscape of the UAE and the wider region.
