A local sponsor links future support to his nephew winning an art prize. The organisers must consider fair judging alongside costs already borne by participants.
01Read the Arabic story
الرَّاعِي الَّذِي أَرَادَ اخْتِيَارَ الْفَائِزِ
كُنْتُ أُسَاعِدُ فِي تَنْظِيمِ جَائِزَةٍ فَنِّيَّةٍ لِلشَّبَابِ فِي حَيِّنَا، وَقَدْ تَكَفَّلَ تَاجِرٌ مَحَلِّيٌّ بِتَكَالِيفِ الْقَاعَةِ وَالْجَائِزَةِ الْمَالِيَّةِ. بَعْدَ وُصُولِ اللَّوْحَاتِ، دَعَانِي إِلَى مَكْتَبِهِ وَأَرَانِي صُورَةَ لَوْحَةِ ابْنِ أَخِيهِ. قَالَ مُبْتَسِمًا: «إِنَّ فَوْزَهُ سَيَجْعَلُ تَجْدِيدَ الدَّعْمِ أَسْهَلَ». ثُمَّ سَأَلَنِي عَمَّا إِذَا كُنْتُ أَسْتَطِيعُ التَّحَدُّثَ إِلَى لَجْنَةِ التَّحْكِيمِ.
أَخْبَرْتُ بَقِيَّةَ الْمُنَظِّمِينَ بِالْحَدِيثِ، فَاخْتَلَفْنَا. قَالَ زَمِيلٌ إِنَّنَا قَدْ نَخْسَرُ الْمُسَابَقَةَ كُلَّهَا بِسَبَبِ لَوْحَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ. وَرَأَتْ زَمِيلَةٌ أَنَّ الْخَسَارَةَ الْأَكْبَرَ هِيَ أَنْ نَعِدَ الْمُشَارِكِينَ بِتَقْيِيمٍ عَادِلٍ ثُمَّ نُغَيِّرَ قَوَاعِدَنَا سِرًّا. لَمْ يَكُنْ أَيٌّ مِنَّا يَمْلِكُ الْمَالَ الْكَافِيَ لِتَعْوِيضِ الدَّعْمِ. وَلَمْ تَكُنْ لَدَيْنَا خُطَّةٌ مَالِيَّةٌ بَدِيلَةٌ جَاهِزَةٌ، وَكَانَ بَعْضُ الْفَنَّانِينَ قَدِ اشْتَرَى مَوَادَّ خِصِّيصًا لِلْمُسَابَقَةِ.
اتَّفَقْنَا أَخِيرًا عَلَى إِخْفَاءِ الْأَسْمَاءِ وَتَرْقِيمِ اللَّوْحَاتِ قَبْلَ عَرْضِهَا عَلَى اللَّجْنَةِ. أَبْقَيْنَا لَوْحَةَ ابْنِ أَخِي التَّاجِرِ ضِمْنَ الْأَعْمَالِ؛ فَهُوَ لَمْ يَطْلُبْ شَيْئًا مِنَّا. أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَى الرَّاعِي مَعَايِيرَ التَّقْيِيمِ وَأَوْضَحْنَا أَنَّ النَّتِيجَةَ لَنْ تَخْضَعَ لِتَدَخُّلِنَا. بَعْدَ يَوْمٍ، سَحَبَ دَعْمَهُ بِرِسَالَةٍ قَصِيرَةٍ، وَكَانَ الْمَعْرِضُ سَيَفْتَحُ أَبْوَابَهُ بَعْدَ أَرْبَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ.
أَعَارَتْنَا مَدْرَسَةٌ قَاعَةً صَغِيرَةً، وَخَفَّضْنَا قِيمَةَ الْجَائِزَةِ إِلَى النِّصْفِ. أَبْلَغْنَا الْمُشَارِكِينَ بِالتَّغْيِيرِ قَبْلَ إِعْلَانِ النَّتِيجَةِ، وَتَرَكْنَا لَهُمْ حُرِّيَّةَ الْانْسِحَابِ. انْسَحَبَ اثْنَانِ، وَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا إِنَّ الْجَائِزَةَ الْأَصْغَرَ لَا تُبَرِّرُ تَكَالِيفَ سَفَرِهِ. لَمْ نَلُمْهُ، لَكِنَّنِي شَعَرْتُ بِأَنَّ قَرَارَنَا حَمَّلَ أَشْخَاصًا آخَرِينَ جُزْءًا مِنَ الثَّمَنِ، رَغْمَ أَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَكُونُوا طَرَفًا فِي الْخِلَافِ.
افْتُتِحَ الْمَعْرِضُ فِي مَوْعِدِهِ، وَفَازَتْ لَوْحَةٌ لِطَالِبَةٍ لَمْ نَكُنْ نَعْرِفُهَا. حَضَرَ ابْنُ أَخِي التَّاجِرِ وَتَحَدَّثَ إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ عَنْ عَمَلِهِ. عِنْدَ كِتَابَةِ التَّقْرِيرِ، سَجَّلْتُ عَدَدَ الزُّوَّارِ وَآرَاءَ الْمُشَارِكِينَ. ثُمَّ فَتَحْتُ مَلَفَّ الْعَامِ الْقَادِمِ، وَوَضَعْتُ رِسَالَةَ انْسِحَابِ الرَّاعِي أَمَامَ صَفْحَةِ الْمِيزَانِيَّةِ الْفَارِغَةِ. تَرَكْتُهُمَا عَلَى مَكْتَبِي بَعْدَ أَنْ أَغْلَقْتُ بَقِيَّةَ الْمَلَفَّاتِ.
Show English translationHide English translation
I was helping organise a youth art prize in our neighbourhood, and a local merchant had undertaken to pay for the venue and cash prize. After the paintings arrived, he invited me to his office and showed me a photograph of his nephew’s painting. Smiling, he said, “His winning would make renewing the support easier.” Then he asked whether I could speak to the judging panel.
I told the other organisers about the conversation, and we disagreed. One colleague said that we might lose the entire competition because of one painting. Another thought the greater loss would be promising participants a fair assessment and then secretly changing our rules. None of us had enough money to replace the support. We had no alternative financial plan ready, and some artists had bought materials especially for the competition.
We finally agreed to conceal the names and number the paintings before showing them to the panel. We kept the merchant’s nephew’s painting among the works; he had not asked us for anything. We sent the sponsor the assessment criteria and explained that we would not interfere with the result. A day later, he withdrew his support in a short message. The exhibition was due to open in four days.
A school lent us a small hall, and we cut the prize value in half. We informed the participants of the change before announcing the result and left them free to withdraw. Two withdrew, and one said that the smaller prize did not justify his travel costs. We did not blame him, but I felt that our decision made others bear part of the cost, although they had not been involved in the disagreement.
The exhibition opened on time, and a painting by a female student we did not know won. The merchant’s nephew attended and spoke to the judges about his work. When writing the report, I recorded visitor numbers and participants’ views. Then I opened next year’s file and placed the sponsor’s withdrawal message in front of the blank budget page. I left both on my desk after closing the other files.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| تَكَفَّلَ | undertook to pay |
| تَجْدِيدَ الدَّعْمِ | renewing the support |
| لَجْنَةِ التَّحْكِيمِ | the judging panel |
| بِتَقْيِيمٍ عَادِلٍ | a fair assessment |
| لِتَعْوِيضِ الدَّعْمِ | to replace the support |
| خِصِّيصًا | especially; specifically |
| مَعَايِيرَ التَّقْيِيمِ | the assessment criteria |
| حُرِّيَّةَ الْانْسِحَابِ | freedom to withdraw |
| لَا تُبَرِّرُ | does not justify |
| صَفْحَةِ الْمِيزَانِيَّةِ الْفَارِغَةِ | the blank budget page |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Use the story to distinguish what is stated from what the details suggest. Open the English support if you need help with a question.
What to remember
- Refusing pressure can protect a process while still imposing costs on people outside the dispute.
- The final documents suggest unfinished work without confirming what will happen next year.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Anna in Arabic: I Know That and I Think That
وَأَوْضَحْنَا أَنَّ النَّتِيجَةَ
Track the organisers’ position through the embedded statement explaining that they will not influence the result.
Lam in Arabic: How to Say “Did Not”
فَهُوَ لَمْ يَطْلُبْ شَيْئًا مِنَّا
Read the past denial that separates the entrant’s behaviour from his uncle’s request.
