Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan increases total prize money to 22 Million Dirhams
Pyramedia has begun preparations for the third season of the smash hit show 'The Millions' Poet. The success of the Millions' Poet has surpassed expectations and the TV competition that has been the talk of the Arab World and especially the Gulf region is back for a third season. The competition, aired on Abu Dhabi TV will begin its audition tour later this summer leading up to the live show which will begin this December.
Announced at the press conference held today at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi were several surprising twists for the upcoming season proving that the 2008-2009 season of the show will be more exciting than ever before. Speaking at the press conference were Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), Nashwa Al Ruwaini, CEO of Pyramedia, the producers of the show and Sultan Al Amimi, one of the judges of the Millions' Poet and Head of the newly established Poetry Academy.
The stakes have been upped for the third season of the highest rated show on Abu Dhabi TV with HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, increasing the prize money to a total of 22 million Emirati Dirhams. The first place winner for season three will now win five million Dirhams as well as the coveted title of 'The Millions' Poet.' Second place will receive four million Dirhams and third, fourth and fifth place poets will receive three, two and one million Dirhams respectively. HH Sheikh Mohammed has also instructed that all 48 contestants that will be chosen to compete from the thousands that are expected to audition, receive financial support to help them publish their poems and continue in their creative endeavors as poets.
In addition to the increased prize money, ADACH have announced the upcoming publication of two books of poetry from the previous Millions' Poet contests. The first book will contain 174 poems from the contestants of the 2006-2007 season while the second book will include 167 poems from the 2007-2008 season. A collection of poems for each of the winners of the three seasons will also be published. In addition to the books, the Millions' Poet programs will soon be available in audio and DVD formats, in response to the wishes of the millions who follow the program.
Pyramedia, the producers of the Millions' Poet, bring an international team from various parts of the world to ensure the excellence of the TV competition is upheld. Experts in the field of set design, lighting, sound and production are brought in from around the Arab world and also from the US, UK and Europe to prepare for the live production at Al Raha Beach Theatre, where the show is filmed live, for one of the largest and most intricate productions in the Arab World.
Nashwa Al Ruwaini quotes, "Over the past few years that the show has been running we have exceeded our expectations, and I am confident that our ability to produce quality programming such as the Millions' Poet show will continue to increase as we move forward in using the highest quality equipment in television productions. We are proud to be apart of establishing such a prestigious show and to have such strong support from our patron HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan".
The requirements for those wishing to participate in season three states that contestants must be between the ages of 18 and 45 and a participating poem must not exceed 20 verses in the style of Nabati poetry. The assessment of the poets depends on several criteria that include rhythm, rhyme, presentation, language and style. Application forms for poets wishing to participate in the competition are available in the 'Millions' Poet' magazine or can be downloaded from the show's website www.nabati.ae.
The Judge's of the Millions' Poet are Sultan Al Amimi, a writer and Nabati poet from the UAE, Dr. Ghassan Al Hassan, a Professor and Arabic poetry specialist from Jordan, Turki Al Murikhi, a magazine editor from Saudi Arabia, Hamad Al Saeed, a Kuwaiti editor of a poetry magazine, and Badr Al Sefoug, a founding member of several poetry magazines from Kuwait. The five judges of the Millions' Poet will shortlist the thousands of applicants into hundreds and finally into 48 poets who will compete in the 15 weeks of the competition.
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For more information please contact:
Hana Al-Hirsi
Head of International Press & Publicity
Pyramedia FZ-LLC
Mobile: +971 50 818 7518
Fax: +971 2 6330 600
Email: hana.alhirsi@pyramedia.biz
Website: www.pyramedia.biz
© Press Release 2008
