QFI Celebrates Eythar, Winner of the Arabic Short Story Contest

The Challenge: Transforming Arabic from Subject to Medium

How do you keep students creatively engaged in Arabic during the high-pressure environment of end-of-year testing? This was the challenge facing Dana Slayton, an Arabic language educator in Texas, who was enthusiastic about getting her students to participate in the 2025 Arabic Short Story Contest this past spring. She was seeking a way to transform Arabic from a subject of study—a collection of grammar rules and vocabulary lists—into a living, creative medium for her students. The need was clear: to bridge the gap between academic proficiency and creative fluency.

The Solution: A Platform for Creative Expression

The solution was the Qatar Foundation International (QFI) Arabic Short Story Contest. This contest, held from April to May 2025, is a cornerstone of QFI's mission to advance the value of teaching and learning Arabic as a global language. By inviting high school students to respond to an open-ended prompt, the contest provides a powerful, inclusive platform for all learners—heritage, native, and world language—to celebrate their connection to Arabic through the act of creation.

The Impact: A Low-Stakes, High-Reward Environment

For Dana Slayton’s classroom, the contest was a revelation. She noted that it was a great opportunity for students to have a creative outlet during end-of-year testing, stating, “My goal was to demystify the creative writing process and give them a low-stakes, creative outlet for Arabic learning during the stressful end-of-year testing season.”

Her strategy was straightforward and replicable. When the prompt was announced, Dana’s first step was to create a simple, collaborative word bank of essential vocabulary, which empowered students to start brainstorming story ideas together immediately. This approach, combined with her supportive editing sessions, was key to lowering what educators call the "affective filter"—a psychological barrier often fueled by the fear of making mistakes. “That teacher support in the editing process was crucial,” she explained. “It gave students the confidence to express their ideas without worrying that ‘silly mistakes’ or vocabulary gaps would interfere with their creativity.”

While participation was optional, the open-ended nature of the assignment highly motivated her students. The contest ultimately allowed them to experiment with their language learning and test their capabilities in a fun, low-pressure environment, turning abstract knowledge into tangible tools for storytelling. “I was thrilled to see how the contest motivated them. My role shifted from instructor to facilitator and editor, which was incredibly rewarding,” Dana added.

The Lasting Proficiency: Beyond the Deadline

The impact extended far beyond the submission deadline. For other educators wondering about the long-term value, Dana points to a clear outcome: her students began building personal lexicons based on the unique themes of their stories. She confirmed, “The most lasting impact has been the personal lexicons they built based on their own interests. They weren’t just memorizing lists; they were collecting the words they needed and used most often, creating small vocabularies that truly belonged to them. I still see students utilizing vocabulary and structures they learned during the writing and editing process in their classwork today.” The contest didn't just test their existing skills; it fostered a deeply internalized, lasting proficiency that continues to serve them.

Eythar’s Journey to Fluency

This transformative process culminated in the work of one of this year's winners, the incredibly talented Eythar, an Early Learner level middle schooler from Dana's classroom.

Eythar’s winning story, “A City Without Fun,” is the brilliant result of a student empowered to use Arabic as a vehicle for profound thought. Her achievement is a testament to her dedication, her teacher's guidance, and the contest's ability to inspire excellence. Eythar is not merely mastering the language; she is actively using it to create meaningful, high-quality literature. Her work showcases the very future QFI aims to build: a future where Arabic is recognized as a dynamic, creative, and global language.

Experience the Achievement Firsthand

Ready to be inspired by the power of creative expression in Arabic?

Critical Investment

The stories born from this contest are proof that with the right platform, students will eagerly transform Arabic from an academic subject into a powerful medium for personal expression. The success of Eythar and her peers demonstrates that the QFI Short Story Contest is a critical investment in the global Arabic education ecosystem. QFI is proud to celebrate these young writers, and the educators who guide them, who are not only mastering the language but actively shaping its future as a dynamic, global language.

Stay tuned for more competitions in the future!