The secretariat of the 17th Farabi International Festival has officially begun its work to identify and honor outstanding contributions in the fields of humanities, social sciences, arts, and Islamic studies, following the issuance of official appointments by Iran’s Minister of Science, Research and Technology.
According to the Public Relations Office of the Farabi International Festival, Professor Mohammad Taqi Karami, Head of the Secretariat of the 17th Farabi International Festival and President of the Institute for Cultural and Social Studies at the Ministry of Science, announced that the festival’s activities for this edition formally commenced on Monday, July 20, 2026. He stated that the Farabi International Festival, as the most significant scientific event in the field of humanities and social sciences, has been officially recognized by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the highest award in this domain.

Structure and Focus of the 17th Festival
The secretariat of the 17th Farabi Festival, based at the Institute for Cultural and Social Studies of the Ministry of Science, is responsible for the evaluation and judging of works in all areas of humanities, arts, social sciences, and Islamic studies across 16 specialized disciplinary groups.
Karami pointed to the distinctions of this year’s edition compared to previous years, noting that submitted works will be accepted in five categories: books, completed research projects, doctoral dissertations, master’s theses, and scholarly articles published in academic journals affiliated with the Ministry of Science, seminaries, and ISI-indexed journals.
He added that, for the domestic section, the submission period covers works produced from March 2022 through March 2025. In the international section, all works published in the fields of Islamic Studies and Iranian Studies in non-Persian languages between 2022 and 2024 are eligible to participate.

A New Approach to Evaluation and Interdisciplinary Cooperation
Emphasizing reforms in the evaluation process, the head of the festival secretariat said that this edition introduces a strategic change in the Interdisciplinary Studies group. Works in this area will be reviewed in cooperation with the Razi, Khwarizmi, and Cultural Research festivals.
He further noted that the secretariat’s role will not be limited to examining submitted works alone. In a more proactive effort, the secretariat will seek to establish communication with directors of academic and research departments in order to identify the most important and distinguished works published during the designated period and invite them to participate in the festival, thereby helping to enhance the quality of the judging process.

Timeline and Submission Process
According to the announced schedule, the process of receiving submissions will take place in August and September 2026, while the evaluation and judging stages will be conducted in October and November.
Professor Karami concluded by inviting all researchers, professors, and students to participate actively in the festival and support the secretariat in advancing research in the field of humanities. Those interested may visit the festival’s official website at www.farabiaward.ir for further information and to submit their works online. A printed copy of the submitted work must also be sent to the secretariat. Secretariat staff are also available during office hours to answer researchers’ questions.