''Million's Poet'' () is a
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
show in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
, which was first broadcast in December 2006.
The show is a
Nabati vernacular poetry competition in which the participants compose and recite poems.
History
The show is funded by the
Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage and is inspired by a pre-Islamic poetry festival at
Souk Okaz
Sūq ʿUkāẓ ( ), or Al-Ukadh, is a historical souk at ʿUkāẓ, between Nakhla and Taif, in Saudi Arabia. It was the largest and best known annual fair in pre-Islamic times. Today it is a popular tourist destination.
History
Sūq ʿUk ...
.
48 participants are selected from among several thousand applicants. In each episode, participants read a poem they have written. A panel of judges evaluate the style and language of the poems and the quality of the recitation; contestants also receive votes from the audience, and are eliminated from the competition until five finalists remain.
The show's prize initially amounted to one million
UAE dirham, in addition to a banner made of the most expensive fabric in the world, featuring the program's logo. The winner will keep the banner for a full year, allowing them to defend their title the following year. Starting with the second season, the prize was raised to five million dirhams.
The competition is overseen by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, and is implemented and produced by Pyramedia, headed by Egyptian media personality
Nashwa Al-Ruwaini, the company's CEO.
In 2010, journalist and editor
Hissa Hilal was the show's first female finalist, finishing third in the finals. Her poems strongly criticized "ad hoc fatwas", religious extremism and conservative clerics.
See also
*''
Prince of Poets''
References
External links
Ahlanlive.com
Emirati reality television series
Arabic-language television shows
Arabic poetry awards
2000s Emirati television series
2010s Emirati television series
2006 Emirati television series debuts
Talent shows
Abu Dhabi TV original programming
{{Asia-tv-prog-stub