INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TEHRAN- The 26th International Storytelling Festival, organized by Irans Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults
(IIDCYA), concluded in Yazd with the announcement of winners throughout numerous categories on Tuesday.The celebration, aimed to promote
storytelling and identify emerging skills, featured individuals from Iran and 8 other countries.The ceremony, including music and awards for
national and international winners, also commemorated veteran writer Maryam Nashiba for her decades of contributions to storytelling and the
promo of culture and literature.In the international area and Traditional Classic for Grandparents classification, Hassan Jafari from East
Azarbaijan province, Hamideh Abrishami from South Khorasan province, and Soghara Khajoinejad from Kerman province were honored.In the
Traditional Classic classification for ages 17 and above, the winners were Zeinab Rajabi from Yazd province, Faezeh Khosravi from Kerman
province, and Fatemeh Mohammadi from Qazvin province
Djuma Kadjudja from Congo received a respectable mention.In the Traditional Classic category for ages 12 to 17, Mohammad Taha Etemadian from
Yazd and Kiarash Rahbari from Semnan were recognized.In the Modern and Innovative Storytelling category for ages 17 and above, Ali Kalout
from Lebanon, Armaghan Sadat Hosseini from Qazvin, Mahdieh Keshvari Moqadam from Yazd, and Hadi Rafiei from Zanjan were chosen as winners.In
the 12 to 17 age group of the exact same category, Fatemeh Sadat Mirzababai from Yazd was the winner.For Traditional Ritual Storytelling,
Sara Hosseini from Hamedan, Sahar Keikhai Javan from Sistan-Baluchestan, and Seyyed Ali Mousavi from Yazd were the winners.In the 12 to 17
age of the same category, the winners were Fatemeh Mousavi Hakimabadi from Khorasan Razavi, Iman Qasemi from Isfahan, and Sarina Seifi from
Tehran.The Storytelling with Sign Language section saw Marzieh Aqakhani from Alborz, Zeinab Sabbagh from Tehran, and Leila Arzhangi from
Tehran become winners.In the Sacrifice and Resistance Storytelling category, Fatemeh Bahrani and Naimeh Bidmeshki-Yazdi, both from Yazd,
alongside Maryam Mehdipour from Alborz, were acknowledged for their contributions
In the 12 to 17 age group, Sayda Sabzevari from Ilam and Tahoura Mahzadeh from Khorasan Razavi were revealed as the winners.The 26th edition
of International Storytelling Festival themed The Secret of Stories Shapes Life and evaluated by prominent figures in the fields of
literature and storytelling, granted cash prizes, trophies, and chances for the winners to participate in nationwide and global
programs.Photo: Veteran Iranian writer Maryam Nashiba receives acknowledgment at the closing ceremony of the 26th International Storytelling
Festival in Yazd, on February 18, 2025
