The 11th UBL Literature and Arts Awards were held in Karachi at a five-star hotel, attended in large numbers by writers, literary and media personalities, socialites, and celebrities. At every event, the celebrated awards recognize and celebrate the best of Pakistani writers and artists, honoring a longstanding commitment to arts and literature.
The various award categories received hundreds of nominations from all over Pakistan. The competition was open to all Pakistani authors who had published their original work in 2021 and 2022. Entries were shortlisted by an esteemed panel of judges. The jury members in the Urdu categories were Dr. Asghar Nadeem Syed, Dr. Arfa Syeda, Dr. Anwaar Ahmed, Ms. Kishwar Naheed and Dr. Nasir Abbas Nayyar, while jury members for the English categories included Dr. Naazir Mahmood, Dr. Aroosa Kanwal and Mr. Haris Khaleeq.

The winners in each category as declared at the Awards were:

Children’s Urdu Literature: Ahmed Tariq
Children’s English Literature: Marzia Abbas
Urdu Poetry: Mohsin Shakeel
Pakistani Languages: Waqar Ali Shah
Song Lyrics: Sabir Zafer
Drama Script: Hashim Nadeem
Urdu Debut: Ahmed Jehangir
English Fiction: Haroon Khalid Akhter
English Non-Fiction: Tariq Rehman
Urdu Fiction: Shaheen Abbas
Urdu Non-Fiction: Dr Aurangzeb Khan

The awards also included a special category to celebrate the wide-reaching impact of a celebrated artist who has produced exemplary work across a long, distinguished career. The prestigious ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award was awarded to the exemplary Zaheda Hina. s

The ceremony was hosted by Sajid Hassan and Faiza Gillani. The awards were interspersed by light entertainment provided by violinist Saleem, Dastan Go by Fawad Khan of NAPA, classical dance performance by Sumaira Ali, ghazal & geet by Moazzam Ali Khan and a sitar & tabla performance. They ended with a lavish dinner for all the participants.

Mr. Zia Ijaz, Deputy CEO UBL, in his message during the awards, said “As a responsible Corporate Citizen UBL has played its part in the betterment of society through many of its own efforts. The UBL Literature & Arts Awards have been a cornerstone of one of our initiatives of giving back to the society through the recognition of indigenous talent across the country.”

With each iteration of the award, the UBL Literature & Arts Awards support, motivate and celebrate talented Pakistani writers. The Bank recognizes the importance of arts and literature in helping society feel fulfilled, inspired and proud of its roots. It encourages budding Pakistani artists to continue producing their works in a variety of different genres, knowing that there are celebrated local platforms where they can be recognized. It is through such ventures that the literary tradition lives on and benefits the current and future generations.