30th Edition of the Comar d'Or Literary Prizes 2026 Celebrates Tunisian Literature
The winners of the 30th edition of the Comar d'Or Literary Prizes 2026, dedicated to Tunisian novel production in Arabic and French languages, were announced at a ceremony held at the Théâtre de l'Opéra de la Cité de la Culture in Tunis.
Tunisian doctor and writer Hichem Ben Azouz won the Comar d'Or in French for his debut novel "Sangoma le guérisseur" (Sangoma the Healer), published by Hikayet Editions. In the Arabic-language category, the main prize was awarded to Nasr Belhaj Bettaieb for his novel "Saif Assaouane" (The Lion's Claw), published by Khraief Editions.
Established in 1997 by COMAR Assurances, the Comar d'Or Literary Prizes are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year with a record-breaking participation and an increase in financial rewards. The Comar d'Or prize has increased from 10,000 to 15,000 dinars.
The Jury Special Prizes, worth 7,000 dinars, were awarded to Hella Feki for "Une reine sans Royaume" (A Queen Without a Kingdom) (JC Lattès Editions) in French, and to Fahmi Al-Balti for "Dam Saye’e" (The Dam's Secret) (Kabsa Editions) in Arabic.
The Discovery Prizes, awarded to emerging authors and worth 3,000 dinars, went to Sofiene Ben M'rad for "Tunis Arkana" (Tunisian Secrets) (SIKELLI Editions) in the French-language category, and to Najoua Kadri for "Al Majda" (The Pearl) (Arkadia Editions) in the Arabic-language category.
This year's edition set a historic record with 92 novels competing, including 59 in Arabic and 33 in French, compared to only 13 works in the first edition of the Comar d'Or.
The ceremony also paid tribute to several prominent figures in Tunisian literature, including Chokri Mabkhout, Yamen Manaï, and Faouzia Zouari.
The evening concluded with a concert by the Carthage Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hafedh Makni.
