Earlier in October 2025, Egyptian Streets hosted a special ceremony at Bibliothek Egypt in Arkan Plaza to celebrate the winners of the Timeless Tales: Egypt’s Cultural Heritage Writing Competition.
The competition, held in collaboration with FairTrade Egypt and Bibliothek Egypt, invited residents of Egypt to submit first-person stories that explored the country’s diverse cultural heritage — from ancient and Coptic histories to Islamic, Jewish, and intangible traditions including crafts, music, performance, and storytelling.
Over 50 thoughtful and moving entries were received. Judging them was no easy task. The submissions captured a wide range of personal encounters with heritage, memory, and identity, each offering a unique voice and perspective. After weeks of review, thirteen standout entries were selected for recognition.
Top Three Winners
The top three winners were awarded product vouchers from FairTrade Egypt and handpicked books from Bibliothek Egypt. Their pieces were selected for their depth, originality, emotional resonance, and connection to Egypt’s cultural fabric.
- First Place: The Cairo I Never Thought I’d Miss by Razan Salah
- Second Place: Our Gold by Maryam Saleh
- Third Place: Angel of Qurqumas by Dina Jalabi
Top Ten Finalists
In addition to the top three, ten writers were recognized as finalists. These entries impressed the judges with their creativity, emotional depth, and storytelling craft.
(In no particular order)
- When My Hips Learned to Speak Arabic — Atiqah Ghazali-alKashif
- Crossing the Threshold, Where Two Worlds Meet — Rowan Mustafa Mohammed Mahrous
- Zaghroutas, Joy, & Belonging — Nour Walid
- Interweaving History: The Palace of Splendors — Salma Hashem
- Finding My Own Source — Rina Kusmala Abou Hashish
- ‘Eish wa-Malḥ (Bread and Salt) — Kira Weiss
- Roots Beyond the Sea: A Saidi Girl’s Journey Through Heritage and Memory — Gehad Abdalla
- Whispers of Belonging — Rawan Khedr
- My Coptic Egypt — Tia W Nashed
- Where Will They Bury Me? — Jana Abdel Aty
More Stories to Come
While only thirteen submissions were formally recognized, the Egyptian Streets team was incredibly moved by the overall quality of the stories received. Many entries that did not place in the top group still left a strong impression and deserve to be shared.
In the coming months, we will be publishing the top 13 entries of each author mentioned above.
We will then be considering additional stories to be published on the Egyptian Streets website as part of our ongoing commitment to spotlight personal storytelling and cultural reflection.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our partners FairTrade Egypt and Bibliothek Egypt for their support, generosity, and shared commitment to uplifting Egyptian voices and crafts. Their involvement helped make this competition not only a celebration of writing, but of community and creativity.
To everyone who submitted their story – thank you for sharing your voice. You have helped bring Egypt’s heritage to life in ways that will continue to resonate for years to come.
Stay tuned to Egyptian Streets as we begin publishing the winning and selected stories soon.
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