By Marcus Khoudair

You would see that even when we go far, we speak to you. We write to you. We dream in your geography. We say “back home” and mean you. We say “the village” and mean you. We say “I miss the sea” and mean the very stretch of your coastline that knows our footsteps. We say “I want to be buried there” and mean your soil, specifically yours, not just any holy ground, yours.

From ‘When the Cedars Wept’
by Malek Chalhoub

 

As exemplified above, an overall tone of bittersweet longing characterised dozens of entries to the Dr Charles Malik Literary Awards 2025, awarded on Thursday the 11th of December 2025 by WLCU Sydney. This was my first year on the judging panel and it was an honour and challenge.

The remarkable depth and breadth all submissions—in the categories of Literary Excellence (Main), Youth, and Poetry—required rounds of re-reading by my fellow judges and robust discussion among us to resolve our differences of scoring. Ultimately we awarded the following.

In the main category of Literary Excellence, from first to third place:

1. ‘When the Cedars Wept’ by Malek Chalhoub
2. ‘Echoes of Lebanon in a distant heart’ by Ali R. Jaber
3. ‘The Ballad of the Architect’ by Felipe Gabriel dos Santos Oliveira

In the category of Youth:

• First place to ‘Where I found my love for you’ by Adrian Mouhajer
• Highly commended for ‘A Mountain Man Never Cries’ by Paul Lebbos

And in the category of Poetry:

• First place to ‘One Heart, One Home’ by Celine Marie Harb
• Highly commended to ‘When a Child of the Cedars Talks’ by Naya Farhat

The passion of our recipients extended to their speeches, with Malek accepting his award on a call from Lebanon, and Celine speaking about her faith, family, and sense of Lebanon’s modern place in the world. These highlights, accompanied by plentiful food, live classical strings, and a generous raffle, made for a memorable evening at Artistry Garden, Governor Phillip Tower, One Farrer Place.

I remain personally moved by the specific insight that all pieces offered into Lebanon, whether as a place, concept, or even, in the case of Chaloub’s ‘When the Cedars Wept’, as an imagined “you” to be intimately conversed with. Where Mouhajer writes of “glass teacups”, “teita’s giggle”, and “revolutionary days”, Harb explores the differences and similarities between what Lebanon and Australia “gave” her. All three winning entries notably share stunning contrasts that, altogether, portray Lebanon in magnificent complexity.

Other submissions ranged from memoir, creative nonfiction, and academic treatises; to songs, odes, and dreamlike free verse. Writers reflected on Lebanon through profound experiences with other people, sometimes strangers; in memories with dear family members; on long-awaited trips back home, struck by sensory richness; and via detailed accounts of significant historical figures or personal angles on topical events.

On awards night, Dr Shane Geha celebrated “Brand Lebanon” and spoke of his commitment for WLCU Sydney to enrich our collective understanding of the home of Dr Charles Malik. The writing in this competition rose to hear that call.

To living Lebanese creativity.

 

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For more information about the 2026 Dr Charles Malik Literary Awards, please visit the competition page.